The German auto giant, Mercedes-Benz, will launch a new battery-powered electric vehicle (EV) in South Africa. The Mercedes-Benz EQC will go on sale in 2020, making it the fourth full-EV on the local market. Existing EVs currently on sale include the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and Jaguar I-Pace. Parts manufactured by Formex Industries are used on Mercedes-Benz vehicles assembled at the East London plant.
According to Mercedes-Benz South Africa marketing director, Selvin Govender, the EQ range will be the company’s new line of electric vehicles that will compete in the rapidly-expanding EV market. EQ stands for ‘electric intelligence’ and a range of models will be developed, such as the EQC.
Details of the Mercedes-Benz EQC
The EQC is a five-seater SUV, based on the traditional GLC chassis. The car will come with various seat configurations that will allow buyers to add additional seats for larger families. According to mercedes-Benz, the top speed of the EQC will be limited to 180km/h for safety and durability purposes.
The vehicle will have two electric motors powered by 384 lithium-ion batteries that will produce 300kW of power and 730Nm of torque. This will launch the EQC to 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds – not too bad for a battery-powered SUV. The manufacturers also say that the EQC will have a range of 420km, or enough power to get from northern Johannesburg to Bloemfontein.
Fast charging times allow for more convenient ownership
Charging times have been dramatically reduced in the past few years. The EQC will take just 40 minutes to charge the vehicle to 80% capacity using its DC fast-charger. That means long-distance travellers can enjoy a lunch in the time it takes to recharge their SUV. The EQC has already undergone extensive testing in South Africa and Namibia.
Unfortunately, there are no prices available yet for the EQC. Eager buyers will need to wait a bit longer to find out how much one of these Mercedes-Benz EVs will set them back. Govender says that the launch of the EQ range is the next step in Mercedes-Benz’s effort to have a carbon-neutral fleet by 2039. The automotive manufacturer also believes that half of its global sales will consist of EVs by 2030.
Image credit: Alexander Migl
Formex Industries is a metal forming and assembly company that supplies a variety of complex products to the local automotive industry and the export market. The company is based in the Nelson Mandela Bay metropole, South Africa’s foremost region for automotive manufacturing and export.
Formex specialises in producing components for the catalytic converter industry, as well as metal components and assemblies for the various vehicles. Formex aims to become one of the foremost suppliers for the South African automotive industry by 2035, aligning itself with the South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) which takes effect in 2020.
Formex is a Level 2 B-BBEE supplier with over 80% black ownership, of which more than 40% are black women. The company is owned by Deneb Investments Limited – a subsidiary of Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI) – one of South Africa’s biggest true B-BBEE companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
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