Mercedes-Benz EQA, EQS demonstrated at test facility

Among the range of fully electric models to come from Mercedes-Benz will be the EQS, which is set to premiere in 2021, and it will be followed by, among others, the EQA compact SUV featured in the video here, the duo representing the two ends of the automaker’s EQ range of fully electric vehicles.

The flagship EQS will bring the brand’s Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA) that will underpin several other electric models from the German brand, made possible by its flexibility that allows it to accommodate different wheelbase and track lengths, as well as battery pack sizes.

Here, the video host goes for passenger rides in the development vehicles with Mercedes-Benz overall vehicle test engineer Jens ten Brink, who takes the EQA and EQS for drives within the 520-hectare Testing and Technology Center in Immendingen, which contains 68 km of track length within 30 test tracks.

The test facility in Immendingen features a variety of road surfaces and layouts, which enables Mercedes-Benz to carry out tests which simulate road conditions that might be faced in various countries without having to travel overseas, thus saving on the output of CO2 through transportation.

The traversing of several obstacles is demonstrated with the EQA, beginning with the water tightness test to evaluate the vehicles’ high-voltage components and connectors for their resistance to water. For chassis testing, the facility’s pass road course is used, while the wet handling circuit evaluates chassis stability control systems, along with oversteer and understeer characteristics.

With the EQS, the twisted road surface is demonstrated, where forces are applied to the vehicles’ chassis and high-voltage components in order for engineers to look for noises encountered. Meanwhile, the Belgian block circuit test is also used to test for interior and exterior noises, as well as to test for stresses applied to the chassis.

It appears from the video that Mercedes-Benz goes to the same great lengths to ensure the robustness of its EQ electric vehicle model range, just as it has done for its traditionally internal combustion-engined models. Check out the video here for a brief glimpse into the test facility in Immendingen, where the EQ models are put through their paces.