- Upgraded battery available from 2026 will improve G580’s range from 292 to 400 miles, report claims
- New power pack to provide 20-40 percent more energy density than current 116 kWh battery
- Electric ‘G580 with EQ Technology’ launched at Beijing Auto Show earlier this month
The Mercedes G-class’s boxy shape and beefy curb weight mean it’s not the most natural candidate for an EV conversion. So when Mercedes revealed the new G580 EQ last week, it wasn’t much of a surprise to find that it had a sub-300-mile WLTP driving range. But a new report claims Benz engineers are already plotting to improve the electric G-wagon’s touring ability by over 35 percent.
A 116 kWh battery is huge by the standards of most EVs, but hobbled by the rest of the G package, it’s only sufficient to carry the clunkily-named 2025 G580 with EQ Technology 272 miles (438 km) before the driver needs to find a charger, according to Mercedes figures.
Related: 579 HP Quad-Motor Mercedes G580 EQ Can Outcrawl And Outwade The ICE G
But before the sun had even set on the Beijing Auto Show, and long before Mercedes has delivered a single example of the new G580 EQ, Mercedes officials told Autocar that the model would be available with an entirely new type of battery within two years. The new silicon-anode power pack allegedly provides a 20-40 percent increase in energy density.
There’s quite a difference between those two figures, with the report pointing out that even taking the lowest of those numbers as a guide would increase the G’s battery capacity to 139 kWh, and could theoretically boost the range to 354 miles (570 km), assuming the model returns the same 2.6 mpkWh as the current G.
That kind of range wouldn’t break any records but it would help tremendously in making the G580 far more acceptable. If the density increase was 40- rather than 20 percent, the effective battery capacity could reach up to 162 kWh, boosting the range to over 400 miles (644 km).
“Delivering such a high energy density is a true game-changer and allows us to think in completely new directions when developing future electric cars,” Mercedes’ chief technology officer, Markus Schäfer, told Autocar’s Greg Kable. The report adds that unsurprisingly the same battery tech will find its way into other Mercedes EVs, like the facelifted EQS, which also debuted in Beijing.
The G580 EQ is powered by a quad-motor drivetrain that whips up 579 hp (588 PS / 432 kW) and 859 lb-ft (1,164 Nm) to get the 3,085 kg (6,800 lbs) SUV to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 4.7 seconds.
