Mercedes-Benz is transforming itself from a pure vehicle manufacturer to a provider of mobility services. EQ with Mercedes me provides comprehensive services for the electromobility of today and tomorrow. The intelligent services and functions available for the EQC (combined power consumption: 22.2 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km, provisional data)¹ extend from Route Planning and auxiliary climate control to new assistance functions and convenient charge handling. Via the EQ optimised navigation, Mercedes-Benz customers can quickly find public charging stations, have convenient access to the charging stations of different providers via Mercedes me Charge and benefit from an integrated payment function with easy accounting also at the stations of IONITY, the European quick-charging network. The objective is relaxed, uncomplicated travel with transparency and planning certainty.

Individual, specific services relating to electromobility have been around for a while. The EQC takes a new, comprehensive approach: intelligent networking of individual services and functions make it easier for EQC drivers to use their vehicle in every phase. This already begins before the journey. Drivers are able to plan their destination and input a departure time for pre-entry climate control from their home or office desk. They not only receive an intelligently planned route including necessary charging stops and an arrival time, but also an estimate of the charge status when starting off. On request they can receive a push notification when the charging process starts and ends. This creates transparency and helps drivers to plan upcoming journeys to best effect.

^[1] Figures for power consumption and CO₂ emissions are provisional and were determined by the German Technical Service corporation. The range figures are also provisional. EC type approval and conformity certification with official figures are not yet available. There may be differences between the stated figures and the official figures.

The new services and functions of the EQC planned for market launch include:

Pre-entry climate control, which ensures that the vehicle interior is already at the desired temperature on departure. The EQC is correspondingly cooled down or heated. Programming is possible in several ways: directly via MBUX - Mercedes-Benz User Experience or via the Mercedes me App, where either an individual departure time or a weekly profile can be input. On request, drivers receive push notifications on their mobile phone when the process starts and ends, and are therefore always up-to-date. Pre-entry climate control during a charging process extends vehicle range, as the energy requirement is covered by the charging current.

EQ optimised navigation operates intelligently. It uses numerous factors to plan a route automatically, including any necessary charging stops. It takes into account e.g. the current electric range, the current power consumption, which is individually determined by the driving style, the topography and the traffic flow, and available charging stations. The route calculation is always based on the fastest route taking the shortest charging time into account – therefore quick-charging stations are given preference. Customers do not necessarily have to charge the vehicle fully, but can charge it to suit the total journey time. The route planning also responds dynamically to changes. It can take place both offboard and onboard, i.e. externally (via the Mercedes me App) and within the vehicle. The journey can therefore be conveniently planned at home before departure, or while already en route if required.

EQ specific voice control is activated with “ Hey Mercedes” and its natural language recognition makes operating the EQC easier. This is because the LINGUATRONIC of MBUX recognises and understands many questions and commands relating to electric car specific control aspects. A few examples: “ Show me the energy flow”, “What charging settings have been made?”, “Charge the vehicle to 85 percent” or “I want to leave at 8 a.m. tomorrow” or “Where is the nearest charging station?”. For details see the section on MBUX – Mercedes-Benz User Experience.

Convenient charging and payment

There are well over 200 operators of charging stations in public places in Europe (cities, carparks, motorways, shopping centres, etc.). Thanks to EQ optimised navigation, Mercedes-Benz customers can easily find these charging stations either via the Mercedes me App or directly from the car, and Mercedes me Charge gives them convenient access to the charging stations of numerous providers, also beyond national borders. It is not necessary to have different contracts to do this. In this way customers benefit from authentication plus an integrated payment function with simple accounting. The customer chooses the preferred payment method only once. Every charging process is then automatically debited – also in other countries. The individual charging processes are clearly listed in a monthly invoice.

Mercedes me Charge also allows access to the quick-charging stations of the pan-European network IONITY. Especially over long distances, the short charging times make for a pleasant journey. By 2020 IONITY will construct and operate around 400 quick stations along the main traffic arteries in Europe. IONITY was founded in November 2017 as a joint venture by BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and the Volkswagen group with Audi and Porsche.

The new Mercedes-Benz Wallbox: quick-charging in the home

Charging at home becomes even more convenient with the new-generation Mercedes-Benz Wallbox: this home charging station is more powerful than ever, and for the first time makes it possible e.g. to control various functions from a smartphone.

The new-generation home charging station from Mercedes-Benz has an elegant housing design with cable management. Customers can choose between three versions: the basic Wallbox Home (available since June 2018), the internet-capable Wallbox Advanced and the Wallbox Twin (both expected to become available from the first quarter of 2019) for simultaneous charging of two vehicles. All variants are available from Mercedes-Benz sales partners.

The intelligent Advanced and Twin wallboxes are internet-capable, with a built-in electricity meter, and allow access control by RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). This makes it possible to manage several vehicles with different users. The new Wallbox Web App makes it possible for charging control, user management, charging statistics and cost-optimised charging during off-peak periods to be adjusted very simply from a smartphone.

With the Mercedes-Benz Wallbox, the EQC can be charged up to three times faster in the home than from a domestic power socket (also see Drive section). Thanks to standardisation of the Wallbox charging socket, not only Mercedes‑Benz and smart vehicles can be charged, but also electric vehicles by other manufacturers.

For companies and fleet operators Mercedes-Benz also offers intelligent charging solutions with which fleet managers can monitor and account for all charging processes. Even the accounting for costs incurred by drivers of company cars for charging at home is integrated.

On market launch Mercedes-Benz will also offer further attractive services that boost confidence in electromobility and give customers maximum convenience. These may range from tailor-made service packages and warranties to convenience services such as collection and delivery – for a carefree all-round driving experience.