Mercedes-Benz EQC: The Future Of Driving

Mercedes-Benz's electric innings in India begin with the EQC, a GLC-based fully electric crossover. We take the car for a drive around the winding roads of Lonavala to see what makes it stand out

- Paranjay Dutt

This is certainly not the first time we've seen an electric Merc, there have been many engineering studies and concepts in the past. Although as something you could buy from a Mercedes-Benz India dealership, the EQC is the first. It is based on the GLC crossover and has an all-electric powertrain. Like any Merc worth its salt, it also has an abundance of luxury and class. The only slight deviation is that it runs on electricity. So while on the one hand, it emits zero emissions from the tailpipe, on the other, one might need to be careful with its range. We took one to the neighbouring hill station of Lonavala to charge the winding roads (sorry).

Like any other modern Merc, the EQC is an easy car to drive. It is powered by two electric motors, one at each axle, effectively making it an all-wheel drive. Mercedes-Benz India claims that the car's 80 kWh battery has an estimated range of anywhere between 370 and 414 km. Considering that the distance we had to cover to Lonavala and back from Mumbai was nearly half of the stated range, I didn't expect a problem. But then it occurred to me that the drive to Lonavala is a mix of motorway driving and traversing through twists and turns of the ghats, with a fair bit of uphill climb, which would require more energy. All that was bound to hit the overall range of the battery.

There are a handful of public charging points on the way, so worst-case scenario, we could've easily gotten a top-up. As we started the journey, the car felt smooth and unhurried. The one thing that the EQC does amazingly is pootle almost nonchalantly as if there's absolutely nothing wrong with the world. The drive is largely devoid of vibrations and disturbances, as you could expect from a Merc. Even at higher speeds, the ride around wide bends, overtaking fast cars, slow-moving lorries, and gawking weekend travellers was enjoyable, to say the least.