“Wait a darn minute, don’t you mean the Mercedes-Benz EQC?” Well, Stuttgart will reportedly cease prefacing the model class with an ‘EQ’ for the pure electric variants. Therefore, it will be officially known as the ‘GLC with EQ Technology.’ Not any better but it is what it is.
Regardless, the GLC with EQ Technology is currently undergoing cold weather testing prior to its debut in September. It will be one of several models that the carmaker will launch by 2027 under its Mastering Transformation plan.
Reports by international media outlets, including MotorTrend, state that the electric GLC will ride on the dedicated MB.EA platform that will underpin other EV models as well.
Like most recent EVs, the electric GLC will possess 800V architecture that allows charging at a sustained rate of over 320 kW. Part of the efficiency efforts include blending silicon oxide into the graphite that forms the anodes for the battery cells, which returns a high gravimetric energy density. To the layman, those anodes translates to faster charging by giving the battery 418 km of range in 15 minutes.
Multiple battery options will be available, ranging from a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) unit that will be good for up to 483 km of range, to a 94.5 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) pack with over 805 km of range.
There will also be a 4Matic variant with two electric motors on each axle and a Disconnect Unit (DCU) that, as the name suggests, can engage or disengage the front motor for efficiency. The rear motor is paired to a two-speed transmission.
Selected international media were given a drive in the prototype. The sole version available at the drive was the 4Matic variant with 483 hp. It also showcased a new brake-by-wire system module that combines the brake booster, master cylinder and ESP control. The system does not rely on a mechanical link, relying purely on simulated pressure feedback.
