Mercedes-Benz is bringing the Mercedes EQS back to the US with a very different pitch: more range, faster charging, and enough tech to make even skeptical luxury-EV shoppers stop scrolling. The refreshed electric sedan is scheduled to reach US dealerships in the second half of 2026, and Mercedes says it has built the car to win back buyers who drifted away when demand softened and incentives changed.
The headline number is 925km, or 575 miles, on the WLTP cycle. That figure sits well above what US buyers are used to seeing from EPA estimates, but it still signals a serious jump for a segment where range anxiety is often less about necessity and more about bragging rights. Mercedes is also trying to make the EQS feel less like a niche science project and more like a fully loaded flagship again.
800-volt charging and 122kWh battery
Mercedes says the new EQS uses a battery with silicon oxide and graphite anodes and a usable capacity of 122kWh. The company is also reducing cobalt use, a shift that matters as much for supply-chain ethics as for chemistry lab heroics.
Charging gets a major upgrade too. The car moves to an 800-volt architecture, enabling 350kW DC fast charging and adding 320km of range in 10 minutes. At a 400-volt charger, Mercedes says its control system splits the battery into two halves and charges each side at 400 volts and up to 175kW. That is clever engineering, and also a not-so-subtle reminder that plug compatibility is still an electric-car party trick.
Steer-by-wire arrives on a Mercedes sedan
The other big change is steer-by-wire, a first for Mercedes. Instead of a physical connection between the steering wheel and rack, the system sends commands electronically, which could improve maneuverability and comfort – or introduce the kind of latency people notice immediately and complain about forever.
Mercedes is hedging its bets by offering a steering yoke for the brave and a normal round wheel for everyone else. The company says it has tested the system thoroughly for safety, which is the sort of sentence automakers love to say right before asking customers to trust a very expensive experiment.
MB.OS, Hyperscreen and driver assistance
Inside, Mercedes is leaning harder into software. The updated MB.OS platform brings an AI-powered assistant and over-the-air updates, while the 55-inch Hyperscreen now uses a ”Zero Layer” interface that surfaces commonly used functions without burying them in menus. The system also learns which features you use most and promotes them as widgets on the main screen, which is either genuinely helpful or one more way to remind you how much time you spend in the seat.
- EQS 450+: rear-wheel drive, and Mercedes says it is the range leader
- EQS 500 4MATIC and EQS 580 4MATIC: all-wheel drive with an Integrated Disconnect Unit in the front motor
- MB.Drive Assist: 10 cameras, 27 sensors, automatic lane changing, evasive steering, and automated parking
Mercedes is also not handing this over to its most advanced hands-free system in the lineup. The EQS gets MB.Drive Assist, while the newer Drive Pilot is reserved for the CLA electric sedan for now. In other words, the flagship gets the fancy toys, just not the fanciest one.
A blob with a sharper sales pitch
The shape is still the same aero-first EQS silhouette, and Mercedes says the one-bow design helps deliver a drag coefficient of 0.20. Refined exterior mirrors apparently squeeze out even more efficiency, and regenerative braking has been boosted by a third to 385kW of recuperation. For drivers who never quite got past the ”jelly bean” looks, Mercedes is clearly betting that extra range and better charging will do the talking.
Pricing is still under wraps, but customization is not. Through the Manufaktur Made to Measure program, Mercedes will offer more than 100 paint colors plus bespoke interior choices. That looks like a direct play for buyers who want their EV to feel less mass-produced and more like a private order, which is exactly where luxury brands tend to hide when the market gets moody.
The open question is whether the EQS can pull the rest of Mercedes’ US EV lineup along with it. The company has not said if the EQS SUV, EQE sedan, or EQE SUV are coming back, even as it keeps promising more electric models, including GLC crossover and E-Class variants. If the refreshed EQS finds buyers, expect Mercedes to keep pressing the same formula: more range, more software, and fewer apologies for the blob.