New Mercedes-Benz G580 debuts as fully electric G-Wagen
Yes, there’s now a fully electric version of the Geländewagen. Meet the new, 4-motor Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology, boasting a whopping 1 164 Nm…
The famous Geländewagen has gone electric. This is the new “Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology” (to use its full name), which debuts just 3 weeks after the facelifted G-Class was revealed.
Interestingly, the Stuttgart-based automaker has opted not to apply the expected EQG moniker – which it rolled out for the concept version that premiered back in 2021 – to the battery-powered version of the G-Wagen.
So, what are the new G580’s headline stats? Well, the all-electric, all-wheel-drive G-Class is powered by 4 individually controlled motors located “near the wheels” (effectively 2 in each dedicated housing at the front and rear axles). According to Mercedes-Benz, these motors are integrated into the modified ladder-frame chassis and develop peak outputs of 432 kW and a whopping 1 164 Nm.
Fans of the brand’s Affalterbach-based performance division will likely have already calculated that the G580 outguns even the Mercedes-AMG G63, which offers 430 kW and 850 Nm from its twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine. The electric G-Wagen is, however, a little slower to 3 figures, completing the 0-100 kph sprint in a claimed 4.7 seconds (compared with the G63’s time of 4.5 seconds).
That’s likely down to the extra heft it’s carrying (the listed kerb weight is 3 085 kg), considering the no-doubt heavy high-voltage lithium-ion battery pack has a lofty (usable) capacity of 116 kWh. According to Mercedes-Benz, this results in a single-charge range of “up to 473 km” (on the WLTP cycle). To protect the 2-tiered battery from water and dirt intrusion, the engineers housed it in what Benz terms a “torsion-resistant casing”. Top speed, meanwhile, is electronically limited to 180 kph.
When topping up the battery with alternating current, the maximum charging capacity is 11 kW. For fast charging with direct current, that capacity increases to 200 kW. In the latter case, Mercedes-Benz claims the charging time from 10 to 80% is “around 32 minutes”.
The G580 furthermore features so-called “virtual differential locks” (using torque vectoring), along with selectable low-range off-road gear reduction and an intelligent off-road crawl function. The electric Geländewagen also debuts G-Turn (allowing the vehicle to turn “almost on the spot on loose or unpaved surfaces”) and G-Steering (which ostensibly delivers a “significantly smaller turning circle” when driving off-road).
The German firm says the new model remains stable on sideways slopes of “up to 35 degrees”, while also boasting a maximum fording depth of 850 mm (incidentally outperforming its petrol- and diesel-powered counterparts by 150 mm). The listed approach angle is 32 degrees, while the departure and breakover angles come in at 30.7 and 20.3 degrees, respectively.
“Throughout its more than 45-year history, the G-Class has always used the most modern drive technology available. So, it’s entirely fitting that the innovative drive concept with 4 individually controlled electric motors once again raises the legendary performance of our off-road icon to a new level. It even retains that familiar angular silhouette and is true to the character of our beloved Geländewagen,” said Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer.
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