Ever since the automobile was invented by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, Mercedes-Benz has tested its products thoroughly and at length before bringing them to market. Systematic vehicle testing is one of the most extensive measures undertaken by Mercedes-Benz during the development process in order to guarantee the highest possible vehicle quality. Before going into production, the complete vehicle must reach a maturity level that is defined in detail in advance. Then comes intensive trialling of certain components in test vehicles, e.g. in order to ensure the longevity of a drivetrain network (the combination of – depending on the design – electric drive system, differentials, drive shafts, wheels) and individual axle components.
The most important aspects of 2021 Mercedes EQA Electric SUV testing at a glance:
Focus of digital testing: validation of constructive feasibility (can the car, as designed and built, be volume produced?), crash performance (accident simulations for assessing passive safety), aerodynamics, vibration characteristics (NVH), weight, etc., using VR tools
Focus of testing on the road and on dynamometers: overall vehicle (how do the previously tested components and assemblies perform when they are integrated into a vehicle?) and long-term durability
Ratio of digital testing to real-world testing: 35%/65%
Expert knowledge: before being released for production, the vehicle must be tested and validated by numerous experts from many different departments. Overall, several hundred specialists are involved in testing, ranging from the specialist departments, which test and approve their components and modules, through to testing/endurance testing of the complete vehicle.
Development period: approx. four years
Testing period for complete vehicle: at least two winters and two summers
Countries in which the EQA was tested: Germany (in particular at the new testing facility in Immendingen), Austria, Finland, France, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Dubai, South Africa, USA, Mexico, China, Japan
The most recent cold-weather testing of the EQA took place at Arctic Falls, Sweden.
Testing extended to the complete vehicle, with the focus on all components and drivetrains.
Certain components were validated with respect to all cold weather issues. This involves, for example, adjusting the air conditioning system and driving when the level of friction is low, i.e. in wintery road conditions.
There was also an emphasis on preconditioning, charging and battery management at low temperatures.
The engineers tested the vehicles on site down to the smallest detail and analysed them in close consultation with the relevant development departments.
At the same time, several 100,000 km are covered with the vehicles in a time lapse in various endurance tests as part of an endurance test run programme that is planned in detail. In a parallel process, cars produced locally in China are tested so that they, too, achieve the high Mercedes-Benz quality standard.
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