“The general conclusion is that electric cars and hybrids in e‑mode are much more suitable for everyday use than most people believe,” claims Mercedes.
A new Mercedes “EQ Ready app” allegedly helps motorists decide whether it makes sense for them personally to switch to an electric car or hybrid. The smartphone app can record real journeys made by the user, analyze his or her everyday driving and compare it with numerous parameters of electric and hybrid vehicles. (Mercedes-Benz to Build at Bremen Its First Electric Car – EQ)
This, according to Mercedes-Benz, makes it possible to try e-mobility in a virtual way. The EQ Ready app also recommends which alternatively powered model from – guess where – Smart or Mercedes-Benz – that best matches the user’s activities. The new app will go online for the IAA 2017 in Frankfurt where it can also be experienced at the stand in Hall 2, Level 0.
Mercedes-Benz customers were not the only ones involved in the development of the new app in its pilot phase: members of Daimler’s Board of Management also let their driving be tracked for e‑suitability.
“The general conclusion is that electric cars and hybrids in e‑mode are much more suitable for everyday use than most people believe. Following their personal reality check with our app, even sceptics discover that an electric car or hybrid would satisfy their mobility needs,” claims Wilko Stark, Head of Daimler & Mercedes-Benz Cars Strategy.
The EQ Ready app can now be downloaded free of charge for iOS and Android in German and English. It is initially available for the German market; further countries and features are planned. The smartphone records the journeys made by the user in their car – of any make. This generates a realistic usage profile that is “significantly more meaningful than a once-only test drive.”
Users need to do is to login to their Mercedes “me’ account with name and email address and enable the tracking feature in the app. The tracking feature records not only speed and acceleration but also stops or longer breaks, as well as ambient conditions such as temperature and altitude. This makes it possible to calculate the range and energy consumption.
To optimize their virtual e-driving experience, app users can manually enter potential charging stations, such as at home or at their place of work. In future, the app will be extended to include publicly available charging stations, which based on U.S. experience may or may not be working.
The data are transmitted by WiFi or mobile data to the Mercedes “me” server, where the relevant parameters of Mercedes-Benz and smart electric cars and hybrids are stored. In the case of a hybrid, the evaluation of focuses exclusively on all-electric mode.
Developed by Mercedes-Benz, the software model for the app uses vehicle-specific data, such as energy consumption, range, cd value, weight and rolling friction coefficient. The vehicle efficiencies derived were then evaluated in road tests. The result – it’s claimed – was a very high agreement between simulations and real values.
Among the vehicles included are smart electric drive models (combined power consumption: 13,1-12.9 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km) and plug‑in hybrids from Mercedes-Benz such as GLC 350 e 4MATIC (combined fuel consumption: 2.7-2.5 l/100 km; combined power consumption: 15,2-13,9 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 64-59 g/km) and GLE 500 e (combined fuel consumption: 3.7-3.3 l/100 km; combined power consumption: 18,0-16,7 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 84-78 g/km).
Privacy is an aspect of the app. To stop a journey being recorded, the user can disable the tracking feature at any time. The app also regularly reminds the user that data are being recorded.
The EQ Ready app is another CASE project and was developed in cooperation with “Digital House”. In a structure inspired by start-ups, the project quickly proceeded from idea to in-house incubator through to realization. CASE summarizes the strategic orientation at Mercedes-Benz Cars, bundling the following future topics into a single unit: connectivity (Connected), autonomous driving (Autonomous), flexible use (Shared & Services) and electric drive systems (Electric). The four CASE fields are an integral part of the corporate strategy of Daimler AG. The aim is to shape intuitive mobility for our customers through intelligent dovetailing of the CASE topics.
EQ – A New Electric Mobility Brand
EQ offers a what’s said to be a comprehensive electric mobility environment of products, services, technologies and innovations. The spectrum ranges from electric vehicles and wall-boxes to charging services and home energy storage units. The name EQ stands for “Electric Intelligence” and is derived from the Mercedes‑Benz brand values of “Emotion and Intelligence”. The new brand encompasses all key aspects for customer-focused electric mobility and extends beyond the vehicle itself.
Future models will embody the essentials of state-of-the-art electric mobility: the fusion of emotively appealing and intelligent design, exceptional driving pleasure, high everyday practicality and maximum safety, a hallmark of every vehicle from the inventor of the automobile.
The first series-produced model of the new EQ product brand, the EQC, is set to be produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, Germany from 2019. The EQC is based on the Concept EQ presented last year in Paris.
