This year’s Geneva Motor Show became the platform for Mercedes-Benz to showcase the EQV Concept. It happened just over a month after the company unveiled the mid-life update of the big people carrier. Now, the German automaker has revealed the finished, production-ready specimen. It will make its world premiere at this year’s IAA (Frankfurt Motor Show), which will open its gates from September 12, 2019.

It is tough to get floored by the exterior. The EQV looks almost exactly like its conventionally-powered siblings, apart from some cosmetic changes here and there. But what’s inside and underneath that commanding exterior puts the pure-electric MPV in a different league. Let’s talk powertrain first. There’s only one electric motor that powers the front wheels and it takes the required juices from a 90kWh battery. Mercedes-Benz claims that a total of 204hp and 362Nm is available for a top speed of 160kmph. Not bad for a vehicle that weighs (gross) nearly 3.5 tonnes.

The next obvious question is about the range. Well, the Mercedes-Benz EQV can travel up to 405km. Although that figure is currently provisional in nature. Charging times? The EQV can be charged through an AC feed using 11kW charging output. Needless to say, rapid charging is also available. The zero-emissions MPV can charge the on-board battery with a feed of up to 110kW. At that rate, the charging time from 10 to 80 per cent is less than 45 minutes. Recuperation, which can be adjusted to different levels, is also part of the package.

Compared to the V-Class variants, which are powered by internal combustion engines, the EQV has a different packaging for obvious reasons. The battery, for instance, is located in the spine of the people carrier. Mercedes-Benz claims that the interior space is just as big and versatile as a normal derivative. What that means is the EQV can be configured to seat either 7 or 8 people and, depending on how the seats are arranged, it can gulp up to 1,030 litres of stuff in the luggage area. Other changes include a tweaked 10-inch MBUX system which, apart from handling infotainment duties, also displays powertrain- and battery-related information.

The Mercedes-Benz EQV is, currently, one of its kind. The company hasn’t revealed when the EQV will go on sale. But it will start its innings from Europe. Whether it will, sometime in the future, come to India is unknown.