Mercedes-Benz’s ultra-efficient VISION EQXX electric car completed a 750-mile (1,200 km) trip on a single charge between Germany and the UK.
A few years ago, Mercedes-Benz launched the VISION EQXX project to improve the efficiency of its electric vehicles. The vehicle is equipped with a 100 kWh battery pack, and there are a few production electric vehicles out with that capacity, but none of them get more than 500 miles of range.
Mercedes is testing some technology in the VISION EQXX to push the efficiency to new levels. It is equipped with many aerodynamic features that achieve a drag coefficient of 0.17.
In April, the test electric car drove from Sindelfingen near Stuttgart, on the autobahn, across the Swiss Alps and Northern Italy, to Cassis in the French Riviera. That was a trip of just over 620 miles (1,000 km).
That’s about what Mercedes-Benz said it would be able to do after updating the originally announced specs of over 750 miles (1,200 km) of range back in 2020 before unveiling the vehicle.
Today, Mercedes-Benz announced that it completed a trip with the VISION EQXX that is actually closer to the original specs:
Stuttgart/Brixworth. The Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX beats its own efficiency record in real-world driving with another 1,000 km+ journey on a single battery charge. Following its record-breaking maiden drive from Stuttgart to Cassis (France) in April, the research vehicle set the bar even higher, with a 1,202-kilometre road trip from Stuttgart to Silverstone in the UK. After negotiating an autobahn closure and demanding cross-country diversion near Stuttgart, the VISION EQXX crossed the French border near Strasbourg then cruised across northern France at highway speeds to Calais, where it boarded the Eurotunnel. Continuing its journey in the UK, it took the M25 around London then stopped off at Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix in Brackley. Waiting to greet it there were the Formula 1 and Formula E experts who helped develop its advanced drivetrain. The VISION EQXX then carried on to Silverstone, where it was welcomed by special guest driver Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman, who races for the Mercedes-EQ Formula E team, opted not to go easy on the research vehicle, taking it up to its maximum speed limit of 140 km/h on the iconic British race track. Making the most of the occasion, he completed 11 laps, using the last of the charge on the pit lane. Throughout the road trip, the VISION EQXX took advantage of its innovative thermal management system to achieve an average consumption of 8.3 kWh/100 km in the face of heavy traffic and summer temperatures.
While we don’t have all the details of the trip, Mercedes-Benz makes it sound like it was driving the electric car normally for real-world conditions and not “hypermiling” it by driving at low speeds.
It took 14 hours and 30 minutes and they drove at an average speed of 83 km/h (52 mph).
Here are the specs of the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX:
| Energy content of the battery | kWh | < 100 |
| Rated voltage | volts | > 900 |
| Energy consumption | kWh/100 km(miles/kWh) | 8.3(7.5) |
| Cd value | 0.17 | |
| Front face | m² | 2.12 |
| Power | kW | 180 |
| Wheelbase | mm | 2,800 |
| Length/width/height | mm | 4,975/1,870/1,348 |
| Unladen vehicle weight | kg | 1,755 |
Electrek’s Take
I know this is not a production car, but I still really like this stuff. I like when automakers try to push efficiency to new levels. What I would really like is if they would put a 60 kWh battery pack in there and try to come up with a lighter 4-door electric car that can get 400 miles of range, while not costing six figures.
That said, I also understand where Mercedes is coming from, since it has come into the EV market from the higher-end of the market.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
