Mercedes-Benz opened EQS orders for steer-by-wire on a redundant signal architecture

Mercedes-Benz said on October 6 that steer-by-wire can now be ordered for the new EQS sedan, in every EQS market worldwide. The German-language release priced the option in Germany at 2,500 euros before tax and 2,975 euros including VAT, and said it covers rear-axle steering with a steering angle of up to 10 degrees and a new, flatter steering wheel with a redesigned airbag structure.

The system has no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels. The driver’s steering input is transmitted electrically instead, and Mercedes-Benz said 170 degrees of steering-wheel rotation now covers lock to lock, about half a turn.

The company described the safety design as a redundant system architecture with independent signal paths, alongside high-precision sensors and the control units, which it said keeps the car steerable at all times. In what it called the highly unlikely event of a complete system failure, it said lateral guidance can be supported by the rear-axle steering and by targeted wheel-by-wheel brake interventions through ESP.

Mercedes-Benz said it is the first German carmaker to offer steer-by-wire in a series production passenger car. The claim is the company’s own and the release names no steering supplier.

The same release describes the revised EQS as carrying a fundamentally new, next-generation electrical architecture with 800-volt technology, in-house drive units and a two-speed transmission on the rear main drive. It says the Mercedes-Benz Operating System integrates and controls every aspect of the vehicle, and that the car stays current for years through software delivered over the air.