Daimler’s electric flagship
Daimler boss Ola Källenius reveals what will be in the new EQS.
(Photo: AP)
Munich Three letters are supposed to make Tesla fearful: EQS. Behind the abbreviation is the first fully electric model from the Stuttgart-based car maker Daimler, which is built on a platform for electric vehicles. The EQS is the Mercedes manufacturer’s greatest hope for the future and, with an electric range of more than 700 kilometers, semi-autonomous driving functions and a unique operating concept, should even outshine its Californian competitor Tesla.
The electric twin of the S-Class will come onto the market in the middle of the year and should then set new standards in every respect. For example, the electric flagship of the brand with the star will receive a so-called “hyperscreen”, as Daimler announced on Thursday.
The opulent screen unit consists of three displays, which are protected by a curved gorilla glass. Taken together, this creates a giant screen with a width of 1.41 meters, which extends from the left to the right A-pillar.
Mercedes is not only promising a “wow” effect because of the sheer size of the hyper screen. After all, the screen tape is the core of the MBUX multimedia system and therefore “both the brain and nervous system of the car,” said Sajjad Khan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Daimler. “The MBUX Hyperscreen gets to know the customer better and better and delivers a tailor-made, personalized infotainment and operating offer before the passenger has to click or scroll anywhere.”
Specifically, more than 20 functions based on artificial intelligence are to be proactively proposed to the driver. An example: If the user also regularly switches on the heating from the steering wheel to heat the seats, this will be automatically suggested to him at some point as soon as he activates the seat heating.
Or: If the driver repeatedly uses the “vehicle lift-up” function in the EQS to raise the chassis in steep garage entrances or thresholds to calm traffic, the system remembers the GPS positions. If the electric limousine approaches a known threshold again, the driver is proactively asked whether the chassis should be raised again.
A separate display for the passenger
Such functions should offer EQS customers “maximum convenience, personalization and convenience”, says Mercedes board member Khan. The car manufacturer’s digital guru promises its customers, above all, time savings. Khan emphasizes that it was not directly about constructing what is probably the largest screen of all time in a car.
Everything digital
The new hyperscreen should also be able to react intelligently with MBUX.
(Photo: Daimler)
Hyperscreen
The giant screen extends over 1.41 meters in the interior.
(Photo: Daimler)
Nonetheless, the advantage of the mega-screen is obvious: All important functions such as the road map for navigation are displayed continuously, and control via several menu levels as with conventional infotainment systems is no longer necessary. In addition, the front passenger also has its own display area, which should make traveling more entertaining. Even though Daimler emphasizes that entertainment functions while driving are only available within the framework of the country-specific regulations.
Either way, Daimler is likely to pay dearly for the hyperscreen. The Swabians don’t give any details. It is clear, however, that Mercedes will offer the EQS in two versions – one with a hyperscreen and one with a central, smaller screen in the center console, as is also available in the current S-Class. The first version of the EQS should cost well over 100,000 euros. Officially, however, Daimler is still keeping a low profile on the total price for its electric flagship and any special equipment.
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