A small but ultra-efficient sedan shows us of a glimpse of future EV highway travel.
- Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX sedan travels from Germany to Silverstone in the United Kingdom on a single charge, covering 1202 kilometers or 746.8 miles.
- The ultra-efficient sedan was able to beat its own record from earlier in the spring by a significant margin.
- Powered by a 100-kWh battery, the EQXX uses a number of technologies to achieve a high energy efficiency, giving the sleek and low sedan an exceptionally long range.
It was just a few weeks ago the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX completed a trip from Sindelfingen, Germany, to Cassis on the Mediterranean coast of France, covering 626 miles on a single charge. The 11 hour and 32 minute April adventure saw plenty of rain and some chilly weather, along with plenty of tunnels. But in many ways it was a much more straightforward journey with far fewer variables than heading west and crossing the English Channel and braving London ring road traffic.
That’s exactly what a team of Mercedes drivers and engineers did this week, taking the EQXX sedan from Stuttgart, Germany, to Silverstone in the UK, once again on a single charge, covering 1202 kilometers or 746.8 miles.
The EQXX, of course, was built for this sort of thing, with its slippery 0.17 Cd, a 100-kWh battery and low rolling-resistance tires developed by Bridgestone. The smallish four-door is meant to be a technology demonstrator, and it’s certainly packed with technology to allow it to squeeze every last drop of energy out of the battery feeding its 241-hp motor.
The team took off from Stuttgart, covering hundreds of kilometers on the autobahn to the French border near Strasbourg, and continuing on to Calais and boarding the Eurotunnel. After emerging on the other side, the EQXX took the M25 around London—notorious for slow traffic—and stopped at Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix in Brackley, where the EQXX met Formula 1 and Formula E experts who helped develop it.
“This time, the route profile did not come with lower temperatures nor the demanding energy usage and recuperation scenarios presented by the Alps,” the automaker noted. “The main challenges on this trip were summer temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius, paired with increased traffic density around Stuttgart and in the southeast of England.”
The EQXX made it to Silverstone with juice to spare, and then proceeded to do a few laps around the track.
Mercedes-Benz AG – Communications & Marketing
The electric sedan then continued on to Silverstone, where it was met by special guest driver Nyck de Vries, who races for the Mercedes-EQ Formula E team. Rather than taking it for a few gentle spins around Silverstone, the EQXX got 11 laps worth of exercise at up to its maximum speed of 87 mph.
After those 11 laps, the 27-year-old Dutchman used up the last of the battery’s charge in the pit lane, with the EQXX showing 1202 kilometers after a long day.
The EQXX itself is meant to be a technology demonstrator for now, handbuilt to a money-no-object standard, so we wouldn’t expect a similarly sized Mercedes sedan next year with a 746-mile range on a single charge. But many of its technologies are represented in electric Mercedes models today, along with far more room and luxury features inside.
Still, the EQXX is an interesting glimpse at the potential of today’s EV batteries, if the priority is range and very little else. We have a feeling there would be demand in the EV market for a small sedan with a similar range and other parameters. (Make it happen, Mercedes).
“Completing the journey from Stuttgart to Silverstone on a single charge with even greater efficiency really evidences some great progress in accelerating the technologies underpinning our electrification strategy,” said Adam Allsopp, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Advanced Technology Director. “The contribution made over the years by motorsports at Mercedes-Benz is significant and it makes us very proud.”
Keyword: Mercedes EQXX Beats Own Record, Goes 747 Miles