Following the positive results from its winter testing, the Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV will now go through the paces in Spain where its blistering summer heat can see temperatures hitting 50-degrees Celcius.
The main challenge would be the dry heat. Exposure to immense heat can risk battery damage hence the main focus will be on the battery’s cooling circuits. In a country like Malaysia, where the EQC could arrive in, it’s a vital area to look into.
Another area of focus would be the air conditioning of the interior. Here the vehicle will be examined on whether its estimated driving range is correct in relation to the air temperature set for the interior, whether the suggested time for pre-climatisation is sufficient and so on.
Even the noise levels of the air con compressor in the heat, will be examined. Unlike an internal combustion-engined vehicle, there is hardly a sound from the powertrain of the EQC. Hence, the rolling of the tyres or wind noise is more prominent and as such these aspects of the ride quality will be scrutinised.
Almost 200 prototypes have been built for the test programme, with several hundred experts from different fields attending to the examination and approval of these vehicles and its components.
Mercedes-Benz has taken four years to develop the EQC, enduring three winters and three summers in temperatures from minus 35-degrees to 50-degrees Celsius in countries like Germany, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Dubai, South Africa, the USA and China.
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