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The Mercedes-Benz GLC is the brand’s most popular SUV model and in 2024 it was the brand’s best-selling series – now a new all-electric model is currently undergoing winter testing in Sweden.
Engineered as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), Mercedes says that the GLC sets new benchmarks in terms of performance, range, efficiency and charging speed.
Prototypes of the electric GLC recently embarked on rigorous winter trials on the snow-covered roads in the polar regions of Sweden, with temperatures well below freezing.
The new Mercedes-Benz GLC with EQ Technology will be available with 4MATIC all-wheel drive, featuring a front-axle drive unit, which can be swiftly engaged or disengaged using a Disconnect Unit (DCU) when needed.
To ensure optimal traction and driving stability on snow and ice, sensors detect spinning wheels and distribute torque according to the operating strategy. Electric motors in the front and rear-axle drive unit are controlled independently.
A new braking system combines the previously separate components of the brake booster, master cylinder and ESP control into one compact module and optimises the recuperation of braking energy.
An 800-volt architecture reduces charging times and a two-speed transmission is featured on the primary rear axle drive unit.
The GLC will be available with a choice of high-voltage batteries and DC charging rates of more than 320 kW will be supported. It will also include an air-side heat pump which uses approximately one-third of the electrical energy that a comparable electric heater would use to heat the interior. As a multi-source system, the heat pump can simultaneously harness three energy sources: waste heat from the electric-drive unit and from the battery, and ambient air.
The heat pump is part of the climate control system, which cools in the summer and heats in the winter. This approach allows the heat pump to help with high charging performance by preconditioning the high-voltage battery to its optimal temperature range prior to fast charging.
Mercedes-Benz has subjected each new model to the most extreme conditions near the Arctic Circle for decades. As a result, the vehicles endure temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius as well as navigating snow-laden roads and traversing the sheer ice of frozen lakes. To facilitate this, the company operates a dedicated testing centre in Arjeplog, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Beyond road testing in the far north, the centre features test tracks including hill climbs with gradients up to 20 percent, test tracks with varying friction coefficients, handling courses and circular tracks on the nearly bare ice of the frozen lake, all of which impose significant demands on the drive and control systems.
More than 500 individual tests are carried out as part of the trial programme for a new Mercedes-Benz model. For electric vehicles, more than one hundred drive-specific tests are added to the standard procedures, developed specifically for the new drive technologies. About two thirds of them specifically concern eDrive and charging. New challenges for an electric vehicle include the power output of the electric motor during a cold start with a chilled battery, range in customer driving conditions, handling of charging cables, preconditioning and the operating strategy including recuperation. Additionally, the specific tuning of driving dynamics and the ESP system is crucial.
To test various customer requirements and charging profiles, the Arjeplog test centre offers the full range of charging options: from simple household outlets to wall boxes and fast-charging stations.
In addition to winter testing, summer testing with intense sunlight and temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius is also conducted, for example in Arizona and South Africa.
