Electric or not, the G-Class is an unusual entry into the Mercedes-Benz lineup and the automotive industry as a whole, with its modernized 1970s design, body-on-frame construction with solid axles and its promise of more off-road capability than most owners would dare explore. And the automaker wants to change the formula as little as possible in creating the electric version, the EQG, which is being touted as a unique electric offering, with even better off-road performance than before.
We’ve already seen the EQG in concept form and we don’t expect it to change too much on its way to production. Now, over a year later we still don’t have all that many details about it, but Mercedes-Benz chairman Ola Källenius had some remarks to make after he drove a prototype of the vehicle. He told MotorTrend that
The G-Wagen is the car everybody wants that you have to apply for and you're lucky if you get one. It has cult status. It is unique. The G will always remain a G. By definition with its off-road capabilities, it is not on a platform, it is its own vehicle, full stop, and it will remain its own vehicle.
Källenius drove the electric G-Wagen prototype around an off-road proving grounds facility in Austria and he really sounds excited about it. He makes it sound as if the EQG will have superior off-road credentials compared to today’s ICE G-Class. The Mercedes boss noted that
It was mindboggling. I know I'm raising expectations here, but I was so excited stepping out of that car that I cannot wait for the electric G to come. It was so competent, so easy to ride in. It will have phenomenal performance on and off the road, coupled with the most energy dense battery we can find in a vehicle that is slightly aerodynamically challenged in terms of its drive co-efficient.
Another big reveal he made was that Mercedes-Benz would launch a higher density and capacity battery pack one year after the EQG is set to debut, in 2024. The new 2025 battery pack would rely on LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries to achieve an energy density that is 20 to 40 percent higher than what the automaker is able to produce today - it will be offered as an option to the standard battery pack.
