Although it has been toying with electric drivetrains for decades, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled more concept cars than production models up until now. The SLS AMG Electric Drive was its first important statement in the world of EVs, followed by the B-Class Electric Drive in 2014. In 2016, Mercedes-Benz announced its first family of battery-powered vehicles, called EQ, and a couple of new concept cars followed. One of them is the EQA, a compact hatchback that looks like an A-Class from the future.

Mercedes' first EV in the compact segment, the Concept EQA joins Concept EQC, a small SUV that's scheduled to move into production in 2019. There's no word as to when the EQA will become a production model, but we do know that the German automaker intends to launch 10 EQ models by 2022. With that in mind, it's safe to assume that the EQA will be one of the first to enter the market and could arrive in showrooms for the 2020 model year. Until we find out more, let's have a closer look at the concept car in the review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA.

2017 Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2017 Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA
  • Horsepower: 268
  • Torque: 369
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Official video

Exterior

While it retains the overall shape and size of the A-Class hatchback, the EQA is indeed a futuristic take on the compact vehicle. Mercedes says that the exterior styling is a new evolution of the Sensual Purity design seen on the Concept A Saloon with reduced sharp edges and lines. Although the two show cars are pretty different, I can definitely see a common core. And yes, the EQA boasts a more organic design and the alubeam paint finish makes it look like it's about to melt and morph into something else.

Okay, I might have been watching too much of the Terminator franchise recently...

Arguably the most striking detail is the front grille. Which isn't actually a traditional grille, as the element has been replaced with a black panel made almost entirely of LED matrix lights. Basically, the Panamericana-like grille you see there is actually displayed, much like the aggressive headlamps that run into the muscular front fenders.

Making it that much more interesting is the fact that the "grille" can completely change in appearance depending on the driving mode engaged. In the Sport mode, it displays a flaming wing in horizontal format, while the Sport Plus mode activates vertical, red slats in the style of the familiar Panamericana grille seen on production cars. The illuminated star in the middle remains visible in both modes.

The headlamps also feature innovative technology, in the form of laser fibers. Unlike laser diodes, where electrical energy flows into a semiconductor, fibers use a laser-activated medium that is embedded in the center of a fiber-optic cable. This provides more homogeneous lighting of the road. And of course, gives the concept a cool appearance.

The sides seem featureless at first glance, but the beltline has a nice curve and highlights the beefed up rear fenders toward the back. The side skirts also feature an LED stripe. Much like any concept, the EQA rides on oversized wheels, in this case measuring 20 inches.

The rear is unlike any other Merc out there. It's not exactly outlandish, but the red bar that runs across the entire width of the fascia is a new design feature for compact Mercedes cars. The lower fascia is rather simple and the bumper features the same blue LED strips as seen at the front and above the side skirts.

Drivetrain

The Concept EQA draws its juice from an electric drive system that combines two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery that generates "over 200 kW" and a maximum torque of "over 500 Nm" of torque. This converts to more than 268 horsepower and over 369 pound-feet of twist. The company also mentions scalable battery components, which means that the drivetrain could be designed to deliver different outputs. All that power goes to the wheels through an all-wheel-drive system and pushes the EQA from 0 to 62 mph in around five seconds. That's pretty impressive and proves that Mercedes has the technology to deliver a solid competitor for the Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt.

The range is competitive, too, being estimated at 400 km, or 249 miles. What's more, the concept can be charged via induction or wallbox, as well as a rapid charging station through which the EQA can gain a range of 100 km (62 miles) through only 10 minutes of charging. The battery is said to be innovative due to its modular design and model-specific capacity of over 60 kWh.

The EQA concept also showcases new, intelligent charging solutions that are supposed to make owning and using an EV a lot easier. One solution is to enable customers to charge their cars at any electric station and pay without having to register without having to register for various portals or hold a range of different cards. The company calls this system "me-based charging" and says that the customer will remain "within the Mercedes-Benz electromobile ecosystem and gets all of the services from a single source."

The German automaker also wants to develop new energy storage units for cordless induction charging systems or the existing wallbox. However, it seems that these storage units will work best with households that have their own photovoltaic system. The idea is to store the household's surplus solar power in a Mercedes-Benz energy storage unit and then use it as a "green" source of power that is independent of the energy market.

In addition to the new technology, Mercedes-Benz also announced plans to expand its electric charging station network in Europe through ChargePoint Inc, an American charging solution provider that offers more than 33,000 charging spots in the United States.

Conclusion

The Concept EQA is a bit more than a typical concept car. While futuristic by design – the kind that won't make it into production – it showcases many technical solutions that will become available in a few years. The display in the front grille is a solid example. Because electric cars don't need a large radiator like conventional vehicles, carmakers can use that space for all sorts of features. And the EQA's intelligent display is a very cool idea that will most likely appeal to tech geeks. The EQA also signals Mercedes arrival in the compact EV segment, but it's also part of its ongoing assault on the electric car market with the recently announced EQ division.

Third, it comes with an important announcement that Mercedes-Benz is developing new, quicker charging solutions as well as an online payment system that will make owning and using an EV much easier. Living with an electric car isn't as easy as it could be, mostly due to a limited charging station network, and it's great to know that a big automaker such as Mercedes-Benz is doing something about it. All told, the Concept EQA should not only kick off Mercedes' venture into the compact EV market, but it should also debut some innovations. And I'm looking forward to seeing them.

References

Mercedes-Benz Concept EQ

Read our full review on the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQ.

2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Read our full speculative review on the next generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

Read more Mercedes-Benz news.