As we move ever closer to the debut of the EQS, Mercedes-Benz is continuing its slow-leak of information by now giving us a first look at the interior of its S-Class-equivalent fully-electric sedan, featuring the marque’s latest Hyperscreen infotainment dashboard-thing.
The Hyperscreen dashboard was first unveiled earlier this year, but this is the first time we’re seeing it “in action”, attached to the cabin of a car – and yes, it turns the entire dashboard into a screen. Well, three screens, under one single unbroken pane of glass, but you get the idea.
The curved glass panel spans across the entire dashboard from end to end, measuring 141 cm in length. Underneath it, there’s a 12.3-inch screen for the digital instrument cluster, a 17.7-inch screen as the main central infotainment display, and a 12.3-inch screen for the front passenger.
The Hyperscreen sure does look impressive, but Mercedes-Benz says that the cabin of the EQS is not just for looks. In fact, the exact wording that the German carmaker used was “designed for all senses”, including visual, haptic, auditory, and olfactory. Yes, olfactory, as in smell.
Timely in a pandemic-struck era, the Mercedes-Benz EQS will come equipped as standard with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter that cleans and filters outside air entering the cabin, capable of trapping 99.65% of small particles from PM 2.5 to PM 0.3.
The electric sedan also comes with active fragrance as part of the Air-Balance Package, with a new fragrance specifically designed for the EQS dubbed “No.6 Mood Linen”. Mercedes-Benz describes the smell as “the green note of a fig lying on a piece of linen”.
On the haptic front, the Hyperscreen on the Mercedes-Benz EQS uses 12 actuators under the touchscreen surfaces to trigger localised vibration feedback anywhere the user touches the screen, giving the feeling of actually pressing a physical button. The screens are also pressure-sensitive, changing the response on screen based on the level of pressure on the glass.
As for sound, Mercedes-Benz has designed three different “soundscapes” for its electric powertrain: Silver Waves, Vivid Flux and Roaring Pulse – the latter supposedly coming in an over-the-air update. Silver Waves is meant to be a soothing, subtle sound in the background, while the Vivid Flux is a high-tech wooshing sound, designed for the EV enthusiasts. Roaring Pulse meanwhile, is supposedly “reminiscent of powerful machines”.
Perhaps more importantly on the EQS are the three soothing Energizing Nature sounds called Forest Glade, Sounds of the Sea, and Summer Rain, designed to be used when you’re charging the car to, well, recharge the driver. When used in conjunction with the Power Nap feature, the driver’s seat will move into a rest position, while the blinds for the windows and panoramic sunroof will automatically roll-up to promote sleep.
All of these sounds are played through a 15-speaker Burmester surround sound system.
As impressive as the Hyperscreen sounds, the massive screen-dash is actually an optional item on the EQS. On the standard car, the Mercedes-Benz EQS comes equipped with the 12.8-inch portrait-style infotainment display, first seen on the all-new S-Class, alongside a floating 12.3-inch standalone digital instrument cluster.
The standard variant also gets a different centre console, with all of the “physical” controls relocated onto the dashboard underneath the screen to make space for a storage cubby.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS is currently being built at “Factory 56” at the Sindelfingen plant, supposedly the marque’s most modern automotive production facility. The global debut is scheduled on April 15, with deliveries in Europe to begin in August.
GALLERY
