Mercedes-Benz debuts EQV electric van at the Geneva auto show

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  • Mercedes-Benz brought the Concept EQV to the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. It will go into production in 2020.
    Mercedes-Benz
  • It’s powered by a 100kWh lithium-ion battery that feeds a 150kW electric motor driving the front wheels.
    Mercedes-Benz
  • “And in the interior, too, the cool aesthetics of the exterior continue, being complemented by warm accents, like those in rose gold, which underline the whole ‘Welcome Home effect.’ The focus in the cockpit of our Concept EQV is on the new and intuitive MBUX system,” says Gorden Wagener, chief design officer at Daimler AG.
    Mercedes-Benz
  • The show car was configured as a six-seater for VIP transport, but it will be available with bench seats, too.
    Mercedes-Benz
  • Mercedes-Benz’s latest MBUX infotainment system is actually quite good and shows up in the EQV.
    Mercedes-Benz

The Geneva International Motor Show just got underway in Europe, which means a flood of new car reveals. Audi showed off a smaller e-tron sedan and some plug-in hybrids; we’re still waiting to find out which—if any—are coming to the US. There were a bunch of hand-built hypercars, some from companies you’ve heard of and some you haven’t. Volkswagen had the new I.D. Buggy we showed you yesterday. And then there’s the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQV.

It’s the latest all-electric EQ concept from the automaker. Some of these cars, like the Smart Vision EQ or the Vision EQ Silver Arrow will remain one-off, corporate flights of fancy. But others are headed to production. Later this year, the EQC battery electric vehicle goes into production, with US sales starting in 2020. Some time around then, the EQV electric van will also go into volume production.

“Mercedes-Benz Vans is consistently advancing the electrification of its product portfolio. With the Concept EQV, we are now taking the next step. The concept offers all of the brand-typical attributes from this segment that Mercedes-Benz customers have come to know, appreciate and accept. From a daily driver for the family, a leisure-time adventurer or a shuttle vehicle with lounge ambience, the combination of these characteristics with a battery-electric drive mean the Concept EQV is a concept car with a future. We are particularly excited that we will soon be able to offer a series-production model on the basis of this concept,” explains Wilfried Porth, member of the Daimler AG board of management for human resources and director of labor relations at Mercedes-Benz Vans.

EQV will be powered by a 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which supplies a 150kW (201hp) electric motor at the front axle. Top speed is limited to 99mph (160km/h), and the vehicle should have a range of 249 miles (400km). Seating is for between six and eight; we have to imagine the bench seat interior for eight is a lot less fancy than the six-seater configuration shown in Switzerland.

Listing image by Mercedes-Benz

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