Mercedes-Benz EV concept exceeds 1100km range per charge

The radical Mercedes-Benz EQXX concept car shown at CES at the start of 2022 has delivered on its promise of four-figure range and record-low energy consumption.

While the EQXX is not a production vehicle, Mercedes-Benz nevertheless put it through a certified, real-world endurance test on a single charge at speeds of up to 140km/h.

The trip from Sindelfingen, across the Swiss Alps and Northern Italy, to Cassis on the Côte d’Azur, was more than 1000km, yet the EQXX arrived with 15 per cent range remaining – equal to about 140km.

This meant average energy use of only 8.7kWh per 100km.

“The journey started in cold and rainy conditions, and was undertaken at regular road speeds, including prolonged fast-lane cruising at up to 140 km/h on the German autobahn and near the speed limit elsewhere,” Mercedes-Benz claims.

The drive was done with the charging socket sealed and accompanied by an independent monitor from certification body TÜV Süd.

“The Vision EQXX is the most efficient Mercedes ever built. The technology programme behind it marks a milestone in the development of electric vehicles. It underpins our strategic aim to ‘Lead in Electric’,” said a clearly enthused Mercedes-Benz Group AG Chairman Ola Källenius.

The droplet-shaped, aero-friendly (its coefficient of drag is a ridiculously low 0.17) Mercedes-Benz EQXX show car has all sorts of concept features, such as:

• An active rear diffuser and wheels that cut drag
• Newly developed Bridgestone tyres with a super low rolling-resistance rating
• Lightweight materials such as F1-style carbon-fibre-sugar composite, and cast aluminium, to keep the kerb mass to 1755kg (light for an EV)
• A large-capacity 100kWh battery that is 50 per cent smaller and 30 per cent lighter than the one used in the road-going Mercedes-Benz EQS limo
• A ramped-up energy recuperation system that works on any gradient as well as when braking
• A solar roof with 117 cells and a 12V battery which supplies auxiliary electronics, and can add 25km of driving range as a result
• A compact and efficient 180kW electric drive unit made with the Mercedes-AMG F1 team’s help, with a 95 per cent efficiency rate
• More reliance on passive cooling where possible
• An efficiency assistant mode built into the driver-assist features

While the EQXX is merely a concept car, Mercedes-Benz’s board member for development Markus Schäfer claims, “many of the innovative developments are already being integrated into production, some of them in the next generation of modular architecture for compact and midsize Mercedes‑Benz vehicles”.

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