What Do the Letters EQS Stand for in the Mercedes-Benz EQS?
Following the general electrification trend in the auto industry, Mercedes-Benz launched the Mercedes-Benz EQS for the 2022 model year. Traditionally, Mercedes-Benz names have had deeper meanings for the letters you see, and often they’re descriptive of the car you’re getting. So, in the case of the Mercedes-Benz EQS, it’s quite natural for admirers to wonder what the letters stand for.
Mercedes-Benz EQS history
The Mercedes-Benz EQS is Mercedes-Benz EQ’s flagship model as the electric sub-brand for the German automaker. However, even before the EQS was conceived, Mercedes-Benz had problems with the Chinese brand Chery Automobiles over the rights to use the EQ name. This was due to the Chinese automaker already having an electric minicar named the eQ on the market.
An article by MotorTrend notes that both companies agreed to use different variations of the name. In the case of Mercedes-Benz, it would use the EQ label with alphabetical variations, hence the EQS, Mercedes-Benz EQB, and the Mercedes-Benz EQE models. On the other hand, Chery Automobiles would use numerical variations to differentiate its products.
Fast forward to 2019, and Mercedes-Benz revealed the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS at the International Motor Show in Germany. April 2021 saw the release of the production model Mercedes-Benz EQS as the brand’s first electric luxury sedan.
It’s based on Mercedes-Benz’s modular architecture for luxury and executive-class electric vehicles and is also part of the brand’s plans to have a carbon-neutral fleet by 2039.
The meaning of the EQS name
The Mercedes-Benz EQ part of the name is a sort of play on the term IQ. Where the latter is a measure of human intelligence, EQ stands for Electric Intelligence. The sub-brand certainly lives up to the name, especially where the EQS is concerned. You can see it in the electric sedan‘s AI features helping to enhance the driving experience.
As for the S part, it stands for the S-class sedan model that it was originally based on. The term S-class also has a bit of history originating from the German word “Sonderklasse,” which translates to ‘special class.’
The current state of the Mercedes-Benz EQS
Car shoppers can now get the 2023 Mercedes-Benz sedan model in EQS 450+, EQS 450 4Matic, EQS 580 4Matic, and AMG EQS variants. All but the base EQS 450+ offer AWD, and in its place is a rear-wheel-drive system. However, with a single motor, power is limited to 329 hp, with the luxury sedan capable of galloping from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.
The other three produce 335 hp, 516 hp, and 649 hp, respectively, with increasing torque output figures as well. As such, they’re quicker off the line, with the AMG EQS needing just 3.4 seconds to make a 0 to 60-mph acceleration run.
Naturally, the base model also has the most range out of all the models at 350 miles. Despite the power difference, the EQS 450 4Matic and EQS 580 4Matic have the same 340-mile estimated range. As for the AMG EQS, it sacrifices range for power and only manages an EPA-estimated 277-mile range.
Even among EVs, the Mercedes-Benz’s interior stands out with an available hyper screen which includes dual 12.3-inch displays on opposite ends of the dashboard and a 17.7-inch touchscreen in the middle. One of the 12.3-inch screens is, of course, the instrument cluster. However, the option with a smaller 12.8-inch middle screen doesn’t have a passenger-side display.
Recently, Mercedes-Benz also introduced a Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, which can be had for roughly the same price as the sedan. Differences include the missing AMG EQS variant and the slightly larger 108.4 kWh battery, among others.
