Today we bring two first drives—of the American-made Mercedes EQS SUV and of Audi’s most accessible EV yet, the Q4 E-Tron family. And will a group of U.S. Midwest states manage to make their own hydrogen economy? This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
In a review of the 2023 Audi Q4 E-Tron SUV and Sportback, we found these compact electric crossovers to be focused more around practicality than punch. With a great feature set and quiet, luxurious, and smooth driving manners—no one-pedal driving here—it’s Audi’s chance to break out of the EV niche.
The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is loaded with tech items like rear-wheel steering, an air suspension, and adaptive damping that give it quite the combination of off-road prowess and on-road handling and comfort. With a starting price of $105,000 and three rows of seating optional, it has the kind of refinement and sophistication that has defined the brand as much as the internal combustion engine.
And a big U.S. hydrogen-economy announcement was made last week, and it’s not in California. Seven states devoid of any current hydrogen infrastructure have formed the Midwest Hydrogen Coalition and aim to identify the best ways to produce the fuel—potentially for fuel-cell semis plus rail, aviation, and shipping—starting with defining “clean hydrogen.”
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