New Mercedes-Benz EQS passes environmental audit

Mercedes-Benz has announced that it has undergone — and passed — the all-environment related audit with its EQS 450+.

In a statement, the German premium automaker said that the life cycle assessment (LCA) for the abovementioned model (the brand’s first model based on the electric architecture for large cars) has passed the validation conducted by independent assessors.

“The ‘360-degree environmental check’ provides detailed information on consumption, emissions and life cycle assessment, as well as on the use of renewable raw materials and recyclates,” the company shared.

The LCA includes the production of the high-voltage battery and the external charging processes during vehicle operation. “Here, Mercedes-Benz assumes two different requirements in its model calculations: in the ‘EU electricity mix’ scenario, the European electricity mix is taken into account for the charging of the high-voltage battery; in the "regenerative" scenario, renewably produced energy is used for the production of the battery cells and for the charging processes in the vehicle use phase. Both scenarios are based on a mileage of 186,411 miles for the EQS.”

According to the automotive marque, the battery cell cathodes of the Mercedes-Benz EQS have a cobalt content of 10 percent and the components of the vehicle were made proportionately from resource-saving materials (recycled and renewable raw materials).

Further, the Mercedes-Benz EQS is said to be the world's most aerodynamic production car as of date with a drag coefficient value of 0.20. With that, the vehicle delivers a range advantage of four (WLTP cycle) to five percent (Mercedes long-distance measurement).

The floor coverings use a new yarn made of regenerated nylon. One ton of this yarn (brand name is Econyl) saves more than 6.5 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) compared to virgin material.

After use in the car, batteries can possibly be given a second life: for example, in an energy storage system from Mercedes-Benz Energy.

“Together with its partners, the company has already brought three large-scale storage systems with a total of around 50 MWh of energy from automotive battery systems onto the German grid. The first 2nd-life battery storage system was connected to the grid in October 2016 in Lünen, Westphalia,” Mercedes-Benz shared.

“The majority of suppliers, who account for around 90 percent of the annual purchasing volume, want to supply only CO2-neutrally produced parts in the future. They have declared their willingness to do so in an 'Ambition Letter'. From 2039 at the latest, only production materials which have been produced on a CO2-neutral basis in all value creation stages will be allowed through the Mercedes-Benz plant gates,” it added.

Moreover, the roof of Factory 56 (the production facility for the EQS) is equipped with 12,000 photovoltaic modules that can cover 30-percent of the factory’s energy needs on an annual average — thanks to its maximum output of around 5000 kWp.

This makes the energy requirement of the abovementioned facility 25 percent lower compared to other Mercedes-Benz assembly buildings.

Aside from that, recycled concrete was used in the main building and 40 percent of the roof area of Factory 56 is greened.

In 2018, the carmaker started to create transparency in the complex cobalt supply chains for battery cells back in 2018. For this purpose, 120 suppliers were identified and 60 audits were carried out according to the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The production of the highly complex lithium-ion batteries at the Hedelfingen plant, part of the Mercedes- Benz site in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, will be CO2-neutral starting this year. As part of strategic partnerships, Mercedes-Benz has also agreed to purchase battery cells manufactured in a CO2-neutral manner, starting with the EQS.

Relatedly,  Mercedes-Benz said that by this year, a total of eight Mercedes-EQ electric vehicle series will be produced at seven locations on three continents.

Photos from Mercedes-Benz

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