JUSTIN JACOBS
Pretoria – The times are surely changing and electric cars are here to stay; it doesn't matter whether you like them or not. Now, being in the lucky position that I am, I have indeed sampled a fair amount of electric cars. I prefer the smaller, more attainable offerings over the hyper fast, really expensive ones.
Mercedes-Benz recently introduced a bunch of all-electric cars and among the uber luxury offerings is this, the Mercedes-Benz EQA.
We asked Mercedes-Benz South Africa if we could live with one for a few months and they agreed. They don’t usually do long-term test vehicles but I think it is time that we get a realistic take on what it is like living with an electric car for longer than a week.
So let me add some structure to this article. I’m going to tell you about the EQA and then I’m going to tell you why I decided to request it and then I’m going to tell you what I have done and am going to do with it. I will also come up with a name for this series that is appropriate by the end of this article. Let’s begin shall we…
What is an EQA?
The Mercedes EQA is a fully electric compact crossover based on the GLA. I like the design which at first glance doesn't look like anything that special. On closer inspection however you will notice that there is no front grille, there are EQA badges on the sides and the rear – like the front – has a light bar that runs across it.
Other than that, not much tells you that this is an all-electric vehicle and I like that. EVs don’t have to look space-aged. That’s why I adore the Volkswagen e-Golf, because it is just a Golf that is electric.
Back to the EQA. I like the fact that it is the entry-level to the EQ range of vehicles. It is a compact car that appeals to a larger audience. It is – if you will – more attainable than the more luxurious saloons on offer.
This is one of the main reasons why I wanted the EQA, because it is something that the EV community needs and the idea of it is what the EV vehicle should ultimately be in my opinion: A small, affordable means of transport that has decent range and decent charge times.
Inside the EQA it is Mercedes business as usual with two large screens atop the facia, round air vents, a touchpad to control the infotainment screen, Blackberry style touchpads on the steering wheel control the digital instrument cluster and all of this is complemented by good quality materials.
The cabin is quite spacious and that is something I value as I not only have a family, but also a dog that wants to go everywhere with us, so you can imagine the baggage.
So far the EQA has performed admirably in that regard with a luggage capacity of around 340-litres. The ground clearance is also a bonus and my long-term tester has been fitted with the standard 18-inch tyres and not the 20-inch options. The ride is relatively smooth and obviously quiet. Mercedes has done a great job in keeping outside noise, well, out.
Ok, let’s talk about the motor. This EQA is fitted with a 66.6kWh battery, while the e-motor produces 140kW and an impressive 375Nm which is instantly available from the moment you touch the accelerator.
I have already silenced a few hot hatch and SUV drivers double the size of this car. Okay, the performance is a by-product of the efficiency but it is fun to exploit that performance now and then.
This EQA, on a full charge will show around 410km range but so far, I would reckon that a more realistic figure is around 380km. Now it is worth remembering that this Merc offers some pretty good regenerative technology for town driving. This helps recuperate energy while in motion. An 8km trip earlier today only saw a loss of 3km in range for example.
I found the car to be more than capable of handling inner city travel and I have had no range anxiety at all. That is because it is 2023 and although we have a bit of an electrical supply issue, there are a number of Apps and websites that can assist you in planning your charging schedule. This brings me onto the overall plan with this car.
What we are going to do
We are going to live with this car for the next few months and my aim is to rely on public charging. The reason is that charging at home would be too easy, even with load shedding. So instead I am going to use public charging to see how effective it is.
Now don’t think that it is equally as easy. Since the installation of the network, more people have adopted EVs which means that a charging station in an area with one DC port might not be enough for the four or five EVs waiting to charge up.
GridCars has however been increasing the amount of chargers in South Africa and especially in Gauteng. In the early days we had 22kWh chargers which will fully charge this Merc in around three hours. Then came the bigger 50kWh and 60kWh chargers which take around an hour to charge this EQA from 0% to 100% (but you never really empty now are you so think 45 min).
Recently I have seen 100kWh (the max capacity of the merc) popping up. Expect around 20 to 30 min charge times.
In fact, going from 50% to 100% should take around 15 min which is exceptional and something that I will be trying out soon.
It is also worth noting that at the public chargers the price of 1kWh is around R5.88 which means that it will cost around R390 to fully charge this EQA from 0% to max capacity.
I have, however, been charging from around 30% to 100%. My most recent charge gave me around 260km range (from 120km to 380km) at a cost of R258 and it took an hour.
The point of this is to further expand on what it is like to live with, how easy it is to work around the charging and how effective the system is to use. As mentioned, EVs are coming and manufacturers have diverted all internal combustion development funds towards EVs and other alternative energy.
2035 will see the banning of fuel powered vehicles in Europe and that will have an effect on South Africa.
So join myself and the rest of the IOL motoring team as we Get Plugged over the next few months.
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