The company revealed the undisguised production version yesterday:
Notable: that deck lid spoiler is somewhat unusually narrow.
The feature behind the rear wheel might be a pressure vent from the wheel well that aids separation at the back corner. We've seen that on a few production cars. Or it might just be there to trip flow from wrapping at the rear (or both).
And of course the door handles are flush, which is seemingly now a required EV party trick - arguably popularized by Tesla.
If you zoom in on this image, it looks like the outside of the side "vents" have a passage, possibly for a front wheel "air curtain".
And while the front upper "grille" is smooth, the lower grille surprisingly does not appear to have shutters - doesn't that look like a heat exchanger visible in there?
Mercedes’
press release about the car is
62 pages long!
Relevant aero subsection: (aha - it mentions grille shutters...)
Quote:
The new EQS: Aerodynamics
Less resistance for increased range and quiet: With a cd value from 0.20,1 it sets a new aerodynamic benchmark for production vehicles, resulting in improvements for the range. It is also among the best in terms of quiet running. A great deal of attention to detail lies behind the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance.
The purpose design with smooth underbody and mostly closed radiator shutter as well as the favorable basic shape were a solid starting point for the flow optimization. With a great deal of meticulousness, the aerodynamicists in close cooperation with designers were able to achieve the new record cd value of 0.20.
The frontal area of the EQS is 2.51 m2. This results in an effective air resistance from 0.5 mē.
The spread of the individual variants in terms of cd value is comparatively small - customers thus have a wide choice of models without having to consider the range. Mercedes also offers aero wheel options, which were optimized in the wind tunnel, in 20 and 21 inches.
Behind the aerodynamic performance required a lot of attention to detail. The EQS is the first representative of the new electric platform. This is why the invisible details, such as those on the underbody, were developed diligently with great attention to the smallest details. Several thousand computational runs were performed in the virtual wind tunnel alone. Below are some details of the aero development:
- Aerodynamically favorable dimensional concept and tires with optimized geometry
- Aerodynamically optimized wheels in the dimensions 20 and 21 inches
- Cooling air control system with innovative transverse lamella makes extremely efficient use of the available installation space
- Continuous seals in the front area, i.e. between service flap, Black Panel and headlamps
- Streamlined design of the A-pillar
- Wheel spoilers at front and rear. The rear, arrow-shaped wheel spoiler was developed by a fluid dynamics expert directly in the wind tunnel for the benefit of a greater range.
- Elaborately matched underbody paneling in the rear-axle area to take even greater advantage of the smooth underbody of the battery.
- The rear spoiler benefits both rear-axle lift and aerodynamic drag.
For more than three decades, the aerodynamicists at Mercedes-Benz have been achieving top results. Currently, the A-Class Sedan (V 177) and the S-Class (V 223) are the worldwide record holders with a cd value of 0.22.
The special simulation tools and the Mercedes-Benz aero-acoustics wind tunnel commissioned in 2013 make a decisive contribution to this. The EQS also received its fine-tuning there.
Extensive sealing and insulation measures reduce wind noise
In an electric car without the usual level of powertrain sound, wind noise is particularly noticeable by the occupants. That is why the aeroacoustic behavior is particularly important.
In this area, the new EQS is one of the very best vehicles in its class.
Special attention was paid to the sealing of the transitions between the six side windows.
The seals on the flush-fitting door handles, the window support and on the raised exterior mirrors are also noise-optimized.
A further contribution was made by the newly developed A-pillar with a specially shaped piece of trim at the transition to the windscreen. The development is supported by both modern flow simulations and external noise measurements using a special microphone array in the wind tunnel. The A-pillar is designed in this way not only to improve the aero-acoustics, but it is also important for a low cd value and to keep the windows free of dirt.
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