Mercedes-Benz will be launching an all-electric EQS SUV at its North American passenger vehicle plant. These vehicles are said to be in line with Mercedes-Benz Cars’ global action in producing eight all-electric vehicles at seven sites on three continents this year.
The full-size EQS SUV is coordinated at the Mercedes-Benz Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama, a production site for large SUVs bearing the three-pointed star since 1997. Tuscaloosa turns out to be the production location for Mercedes-EQ luxury electric SUVs: the EQS SUV and EQE SUV, which will be produced later this year.
The Tuscaloosa plant uses state-of-the-art digital, sustainable, efficient, and flexible production methods and follows the blueprint of the company`s Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany, which represents the future of automotive production of Mercedes-Benz. Because of these investments of production and the use of the state-of-the-art MO360 ecosystem, Mercedes-Benz is already producing battery[B2] -electric vehicles in large volumes.
: “Our production network is very well positioned for the sustainable and rapid scaling of electric vehicle volumes. With the new EQS SUV joining ourproductn portfolio of all-electric Mercedes-EQ models, we reached another important milestone in our strategy to go all-electric by the end of the decade – wherever market conditions allow. I am absolutely sure that our great Tuscaloosa team will make the electric SUV another global success.” Said by örg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Production and Supply Chain
Michael Goebel, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz US International (MBUSI): “We have a highly skilled and motivated team that has absolutely delivered in the successful product launch of the new EQS SUV. Our Team Members in Tuscaloosa have shown a lot of flexibility, energy and commitment in helping us to achieve milestone after milestone since our first Mercedes-Benz rolled off the production line more than 25 years ago. The employees here at the site can be proud that the first all-electric SUV from Mercedes-Benz and its battery are being built in Alabama.”
The new battery factory, which opened in Bibb County in March, produces battery systems for the EQS SUV on a 300-meter or 985 feet-long with more than 70 workstations. Components are gathered in a complete system in a data production process, it includes up to twelve cell modules and what is known as the EE compartment for the intelligent integration of the power electronics. The battery for the EQS SUV is conceptualized on a modular architecture that is also used in the EQS and EQE Sedans. With this, Bibb County is now a part of the global Mercedes Benz battery production network, which settles on three different continents.
According to the report, as of this year the Mercedes-Benz US production sites operate on a CO2 neutral basis as all of the Mercedes-Benz owned passenger car and van plants worldwide. A strategy of expanding energy production at its plants, the Bibb County battery site’s entire electricity needs will be achieved through these sources from 2024 onwards.
As lithium-ion battery systems from Mercedes-EQ vehicles came back, they settled on a new strategy by recycling batteries and a new plant in Germany, based on hydrometallurgy. In relation to this, Mercedes Benz plans to disable the recyclable material loop together with high-tech partners in the recycling of batteries in the U.S. and China.
