The GM group (General Motors) seems to have engaged in a race to one-upmanship. The technical data sheet of its future electric SUV, the Cadillac Escalade IQ, makes you dizzy, but really not for the right reasons.
Sobriety and efficiency have apparently become dirty words at Cadillac. Always bigger, more expensive, heavier, seems rather to be the trend of the moment. Cadillac proves it by unveiling its future Cadillac Escalade IQ on August 9. Historically, the Cadillac Escalade has always been an imposing and luxurious model, equipped with big gluttonous V8 engines, but its electric version is simply an aberration.
Americans remain obsessed with oversized vehicles, even when it comes time to go electric. European models are almost reasonable next door. If for some pickups, for professional use, this can be justified, for the rest it is only for show. What is the point of switching a 5.69 m long SUV to an electric version? There is no longer any environmental advantage to making this choice, it just looks like greenwashing. While Europe would like electric vehicles to be satisfied with “reasonable” batteries around 60 kWh of autonomy, for example, Cadillac embeds more than 3.3 times this capacity in a single vehicle.
The equivalent of 2 Model X batteries in a single vehicle
This Cadillac Escalade IQ has 200 kWh of battery for 724 km of autonomy promised. This autonomy is only a theoretical estimate, the model has not yet passed American certification.
More concretely, this Escalade IQ is still closer to the Hummer EV SUV with 213 kWh of battery for 505 km of autonomy, than the Tesla Model X with 100 kWh of battery for 560 km of autonomy, according to American standards (EPA ). At least, the model is based on an 800 volt platform allowing fast charging, Cadillac gives an indication of 10 minutes to recover 160 km on the appropriate terminals.
Literally a heavyweight
While the size of the batteries is not always concrete for everyone, the mass of the vehicle can help give some proportions. Cadillac has not yet communicated any data on the mass of the Cadillac IQ, but it is possible to estimate that it will exceed 3.5 tons.
The current versions, in thermal motorization, already currently exceed 2.6 tons on the scale, it is unlikely that the model will go through the diet box by going electric. It will therefore be necessary to add to this the 200 kWh battery, i.e. approximately 1,200 additional kg. The battery of the 213 kWh Hummer EV (also a GM vehicle) weighs approximately 1,326 kg, which is the weight of a small car, just for the battery of a single vehicle.
Of course, the heavier the vehicle, the less efficient it is to move, that’s basic physics. The higher the consumption, the more the manufacturers hide it with larger batteries, thus increasing the mass of the vehicles. Strange logic!
A crucial image model for the brand
The Cadillac Escalade is a very important model for the American brand. It is therefore very well endowed with equipment and technology. Audio system, infotainment screen, on-board security. All these elements are chosen to offer all the comfort to the occupants.
A large trunk under the front hood will certainly be a plus for the shopping trips of some American stars, who appreciate the current version of the model.
To compensate a little for the carbon footprint of the beast, where to ease your conscience, Cadillac indicates that the model will be assembled in their “Zero Factory” (carbon neutral) factory in Detroit, with priority for national components.
The Cadillac Escalade IQ does not go overboard on price, with a starting price of around $130,000 excluding tax (€118,000). That’s relatively affordable compared to the Cadillac Celestiq, announced two days ago, at $340,000 (€309,000) for its base price. Of course, the best-equipped versions will cause the bill to rise somewhat.
More new electric models should be good news, unfortunately some EVs are much less so than others. Abuses that are sometimes denounced in the editorial of our weekly newsletter called Watt Else :
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