Driving An Electric Car In India: Mercedes EQC Review

Thing about electric cars is that they are faster than petrol or diesel cars since all the power and torque are instant. There are revs you need to put or wait for a diesel to get warm on a cold day. The EQC is instant power and requires nothing of that sort. Then there is the silence and the refinement.

The Delhi Govt has just waived road tax for EVs while the Fame scheme has been done to encourage the use for electric cars and promises more charging infrastructure in India. However you can count on your hand the number of electric cars that you can buy in India and its low single digits. 6 in-fact but the latest launch, which is the EQC, promises the highest range and also promises to change your mind about buying an electric car. Of course the Mercedes EQC is not an electric car that will sell in huge numbers as at near Rs 1 core it is a luxury electric car- the first of its kind in India and made for a select few to own. However this feature is not about buying or just the EQC itself as it is about how an electric car feels in the real world and also whether it can ever be a replacement for your standard petrol or diesel car. Thus we chose the EQC cause it is the only EV which promises above 400km range and decided to test it. The EQC is all electric which means there is no engine and less parts thus maintenance is cheaper. However the key to an electric car is the electric motor and the battery. The EQC has two electric motors and the total power is more than 400 bhp and 765Nm. There is also a massive lithium-ion battery pack which is mounted on the floor. Thing about electric cars is that they are faster than petrol or diesel cars since all the power and torque are instant. There are revs you need to put or wait for a diesel to get warm on a cold day. The EQC is instant power and requires nothing of that sort. Then there is the silence and the refinement. With no petrol engine there is no noise and when driving the EQC you hear basically nothing and rolling the windows down suddenly shows how quiet an electric car is. There is also the speed and smoothness. No way can a petrol match the power and smoothness that the EQC EV can give. You do need to get used to the sheer speed as a simple tap on the accelerator is enough to get you to big speeds and you do not realize it. It is effortless and more relaxing to drive than any petrol car. Finally we move to the range. Unlike a petrol or diesel car, the range here is more important as you will not find as many charging stations as petrol stations. There are very few charging stations in Delhi or even when doing any nearby road trips. Thus the range you have in your car is important when you are driving an electric car. This is where the EQC is the most impressive. The claimed range is 450 km plus on a full charge. We got the car at 360 km plus after the car was driven 10 km from the dealership to my home. We then drove the car for 70 kms for two days with small journeys of 10-15km to see how the car fares on a typical urban routine. At the end the range was 220km plus. Hence it means unless you do really long commutes, you can basically drive the EQC all day and many days without charging. Do note we drove the car in Eco mode all of the time to save maximum range but the car was so quick it did not affect the performance or things like the aircon so you can happily drive it in Eco mode and get the maximum range. A longer range is the only answer if many need to be convinced to buy an EV and in case of the EQC you can charge it once in upto three days, depending on how much you drive of course. Just like other EVs, Mercedes will set up the charging infrastructure in your home but you need to keep your car near a plug point or get it installed in your garage. Thus buying an EV means you cannot just park your car anywhere, and that is a hassle. Else Mercedes has its dealerships installed with charging infrastructure too. As is with your phone, charging a car with a giant battery pack will take time. With a standard plug it is near a day while with a wall mounted charger given by Mercedes it is 10 hours. A fast charger would do this in one and half hours but they are difficult to find now. There is a five year warranty and a eight year battery cover too. The EQC as an EV also looks different and feels different from the other cars that Mercedes makes. It is built of a new EV only brand thus looks different and the interior also has neat touches like the air con vents or the upholstery. The EQC is also a family car with decent space and all the luxuries you expect. It is also easy to drive. We did notice that the ground clearance was on the lower side and you need to be careful when going over speed-breakers or bad roads which is perhaps the only disadvantage we could find regarding this car. So that aside EQC till now happens to be the most convincing effort that we have seen regarding an electric car. Yes the price will mean it is a luxury that few would be able to afford but it shows how EV technology is progressing and in future, electric cars could well be a viable replacement for the current petrol/diesel car once we finish up all the oil. Mercedes EQC We like- looks, quality, performance, range, features, refinement We do not- low ground clearance, priced slightly higher