Mercedes-EQ EQA, Benz’s will to target the electric vehicle market
There is a well-known economic term ‘Red Ocean’. This comes from the competition for bleeding as competition is fierce and it is difficult to determine success or failure. The opposite is ‘Blue Ocean’. It means a wide, deep blue sea where fish can be caught a lot, and it means a newly pioneered market, or a market where new products of new technologies are developed and sold in a company.
In the automobile market, the internal combustion engine market is the red ocean of the red ocean. Famous companies with long tradition and history are already dominating the market, and they cannot even show their business cards with fairly new technologies. Of course, there are also companies like Konixeg, which belatedly entered the market with exceptional performance and gained their names. The biggest problem, however, is that the timing of the market’s disappearance is beginning to be clearly visible.
If the internal combustion engine is Red Ocean, the electric vehicle market is still Blue Ocean. Of course, there are many companies that challenge the market, but it is hard to say who has the upper hand. The reason is simple. Not only is the performance of electric motors similar, but the most important batteries are mostly the same except for the difference in capacity. Currently, most electric vehicle batteries adopt lithium-ion methods, which are not that efficient compared to volume, so there is a limit to the capacity that can be increased. Also, it is not applicable to commercial vehicles or other means of transportation due to its considerable weight, and there is a risk of explosion due to impact.
Anyway, this is not an easy situation, but if everyone has the same conditions, they should quickly raise their own characteristics to quickly increase their market share. This is because consumers are likely to choose the same brand if they dominate the market. Also, a brand that leads the market can be the standard for a product, as royalty for the technology alone can expect significant income if the brand’s features become the standard.
Anyway, in this situation, brands that are preparing electric cars are introducing products that contain their own characteristics one after another. This is not an exception not only for popular car brands but also for premium brands. Mercedes-Benz, which is a premium brand but has gained considerable popularity, is also launching an electric vehicle brand called ‘EQ’ and introducing its products step by step. Following the electric SUV EQC, which was the first model, the company is aiming to gain market share by adding EQA to its lineup. We have checked the new product to see if Benz’s plan will succeed.
The overall appearance exudes a strong smell of GLA. Of course, the front design is different from GLA, but EQA has to follow the EQ brand’s family look, so it can’t be helped. Wheels are also designed to minimize air resistance unique to electric vehicles. For the rest of the components, it is no exaggeration to say that it is an “electric vehicle version of GLA.” However, it is not a problem because the design of GLA is pretty enough and goes well with the integrated design of EQ brand headlights and grills. These days, designs that connect left and right with lightbar are popular, and they are applied to EQA’s front and rear lights. This has the effect of making the body look wider, and I think it is a necessary part of the EQA.
When you enter the room, a Mercedes-like design and turbine-shaped vent catch the eye first. A curved display followed by two 10.25-inch screens sat on it, and components such as steering wheels and touch pads were also seen in other Mercedes models. The most impressive thing about EQA’s interior design is Ambient Light. Light comes from the rear of the passenger crash pad with a light bar leading from the door to the dashboard and back to the opposite door. In addition, indirect lighting shines in door bins, front seat legroom, and around the center console, so it feels like a near-future. If you have a chance to test drive, I strongly recommend you to check out the beauty in a dark place like an underground parking lot.
Most of the MIB3 infotainment systems dedicated to EQ are identical to those of internal combustion engines, but this adds the functions required for electric vehicles. It can check battery condition and charge management, and navigation also has information function for charging stations of electric vehicles. It is said that if the battery goes below a certain level, it will be guided to a nearby charging station, but unfortunately, the battery could not be used up until the test drive was completed, so the verification failed.
The overall interior space is quite spacious to suit the sub-medium level. It would be nice to consider buying a family car. It’s not a problem to load a lot of luggage because it’s a second row seat folding, but it’s probably difficult because it’s not long enough for a car park. It is nice to see that the front seat has a ventilation sheet that is rare in imported brands. It also includes air-cleaning packages, integrated smartphone packages that can use Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and wireless charging pads. Considering the difference, the composition is quite abundant.
The most important battery in electric vehicles is 66.5kWh lithium-ion method, which is certified in Korea for 306km and 426km based on WLTP, so we can expect actual mileage of mid to late 300km. Of course, the driver feels the need to rest before running out of power. Batteries were placed at the bottom of the vehicle, not just lined up, but distributed in many places to reduce noise unique to electric vehicles such as high frequency sounds and increase quietness. As the engine noise has disappeared, it seems to be noticeable how hard the developers must have struggled to solve the problem of electric cars with other noises.