Automotive Engineering - October 2023 - 14

ROAD
READY
Cadillac counts on 2025 Escalade IQ for EV sizzle
General Motors said it's all-in on transitioning its
entire passenger-vehicle lineup to EVs and there
may be no more critical litmus test of the strategy
than the reception for the imposing 2025
Cadillac Escalade IQ. If the EV version of the
GM luxury brand's best-selling model can continue
to project the gravitas established by the
internal-combustion Escalade, it will go a long
way toward establishing GM's EV credibility.
After all, the Escalade has instilled itself as
the signature expression in the luxury SUV
segment where, said John Roth, vice president
of Global Cadillac at a media introduction for
the 2025 Escalade IQ, one in three current segment
sales is an Escalade. " The Escalade is the
dominant player in the market, " he said, insinuating
that in an SUV segment where today's buyers can't seem
to get enough or pay enough, the distinctiveness of all-electric
Escalade ought to be a can't-lose proposition.
Taking a cue from the conventionally propelled Escalade,
The 2025 Escalade IQ is similar in size to the current Escalade ESV, has a projected maximum
driving range of 450 miles.
the 2025 Escalade IQ maxes out just about every current EV
metric - including the price, which Cadillac said will start at
around $130,000.
Engineers are promising 450 miles (724 km) of driving range
under optimum conditions and the potential for lickety-split DC
fast-charging - up to 100 miles (161 km) in 10 minutes - thanks
in part to the SUV's 800-volt electrical architecture. The massive
range is afforded by the Escalade IQ's equally mammoth 200
kWh capacity from its 24-module Ultium lithium-ion battery
pack. Cadillac also said the Escalade IQ will be fitted with bidirectional
charging capability to enable powering of a residence
in the event of power failure or when it is desirable to draw energy
from the vehicle battery into the home.
All-wheel-drive is standard, confirmed Mandi Damman, the
Escalade IQ's chief engineer, who said of her post, " It's the assignment
of a lifetime. " She said the IQ's platform is not based on
Cadillac's Lyriq EV or any other existing vehicle and insisted that
thanks to standard 4-wheel steering and a clever new " arrival
mode " programming for the steering system, the Escalade IQ will
be the " best-driving and most-maneuverable Escalade to date. "
Substantial dimensions, heft unspecified
In keeping with the standard Escalade's reputation, the IQ will
not be perceived as small. Its 136.2-inch (3460-mm) wheelbase
is more than 2 inches (51-mm) longer than the current longwheelbase
Escalade ESV. At 224.3 inches (5697 mm) in overall
length, the Escalade IQ does tuck in a couple inches shorter than
the Escalade ESV's 277 inches (5766 mm).The Escalade IQ's
overall height of 76.1 inches (1934 mm) is nearly identical to the
conventional Escalade.
For those who believe power is the ultimate luxury expression,
the 2025 Escalade IQ easily eclipses the internal-combustion
Escalade. Damman said the GM-designed and manufactured
front- and rear-axle traction motors generate a combined
680 hp and up to a thunderous 750 hp in what is called
" Velocity Max " mode that the driver can select at any time
and which she said is not a time-limited " boost " proposition
- Velocity Max can be engaged indefinitely, although with a
corresponding impact on driving range. The torque rating in
normal mode is 615 lb-ft (834 Nm), while Velocity Max can
take that figure to 785 lb-ft (1064 Nm).
The 2023 Escalade with a 6.2-L V8 generates 420 hp and
460 lb-ft (623 Nm). Its maximum towing weight is 8200 lb.
(3719 kg), while Cadillac said the 2025 Escalade IQ's max tow
is 8000 lb (3628 kg).
After taking continuing heat for the 9046-lb (4103-kg) official
The Escalade IQ has 24-inch wheels as standard; this " aero " design helps
IQ to claim being the most aerodynamic fullsize SUV ever built by GM.
14 October 2023
curb weight of its first Brobdingnagian EV, the GMC Hummer EV
Pickup, Damman and other Cadillac officials circumspectly did
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
BOTH IMAGES: CADILLAC

Automotive Engineering - October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive Engineering - October 2023