Divyank Kushagra Bansal 
Known as the EQG during its development, the first fully electric variant of Mercedes-Benz’s flagship off-road SUV debuted as the G 580 with EQ Technology.
The G 580 EDITION ONE (left) is an exclusive special edition available at launch with an expanded palette of standard features.
The 116kWh high-voltage lithium-ion battery (borrowed from the EQS) offers a WLTP driving range of up to 473km. To protect it from water and dirt intrusion, the battery is housed in a torsion-resistant casing.
The G 580 looks more or less similar to its ICE counterparts but gets a handful of changes. These include a slightly raised bonnet and air curtains in the rear wheel-arch flares. New A-pillar cladding and a spoiler lip on the roof contribute to optimised aerodynamics. The black-panel radiator grille is available as an option.
The G 580 retains the combination of independent front suspension with double wishbones of the standard models. It gets a new rigid rear axle that houses the integrated electric drive unit. Like its ICE counterparts, it is also based on a ladder-frame chassis.
With all the powertrain components sealed, the electric G 580 offers a maximum fording depth of 850mm – 150mm more than the standard G-Class.
It’s powered by four individually controlled motors integrated into the ladder frame. The maximum total output figures stand at 432kW (579bhp) and 1,164Nm.
It uses torque vectoring to generate virtual differential locks compared to mechanical ones on the regular G-Class models.
Each motor of the G 580 gets its dedicated transmission and the SUV gets a Low Range off-road gear reduction, along with High Range on-road setting. This setup enables unique off-road driving functions like G-TURN (720-degree tank turn on the spot), G-STEERING (reduced turning circle), and an off-road crawl function.
