Mercedes-Benz took the well-known slogan “proof instead of promises” and publicly tested the safety of its electric SUVs. He deliberately oversized the parameters.
Footage from crash tests is available on the Internet, but it is not usual for the car manufacturer to publish them. Mercedes-Benz is thus one of the first to promote public confidence in the safety of electric cars. The published crash test took place at its largest test center in Sindelfingen, established in 1969, where Mercedes conducts around 900 tests a year.
In a standard test carried out by the Euro NCAP organization, a 1400 kg truck hits the middle of the front of the car. Mercedes wanted to bring the impact as close to reality as possible and moved the parameters to a much higher level. He sent the EQA electric crossover and the EQS large-space SUV weighing around three tons against each other. At the same time, both cars were traveling at a speed of 56 km/h immediately before the impact. The resulting impact was thus much harder than required by regulations.
For an even more authentic result, the automaker put a petite female mannequin behind the wheel. According to statistics, only 5% of women in the world are smaller than 150 cm and weigh less than 49 kg. A mannequin of an average man weighing 78 kg was placed in the passenger seat. This means that the data is representative of a wide spectrum of characters.
Both Mercedes electric cars survived the impact. The cabin remained intact, and likewise the roof pillars showed no signs of deformation. They even went to open the door. As for the electric drive, the high-voltage on-board system disconnected immediately in both cars.
