- The range is the large number of the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX, which is presented today at the annual CES technology fair and is described as the “most efficient Mercedes-Benz of all time”.
- The production-ready, even if not intended for production, electric sedan has an output of only 201 hp, but is said to deliver 620 miles for a surcharge. In theory, of course.
- The single-engine EQXX with probably rear-wheel drive has virtuous properties such as vegan leather, solar panels, trims made from recycled plastic – and an extremely smooth drag coefficient of 0.17.
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While automakers unveiling futuristic EV concepts tend to place value proposition over range, Mercedes is reversing that equation with the Vision EQXX. The compact four-door was unveiled at the CES technology fair in Las Vegas – although the automaker participated virtually due to COVID concerns. Said horsepower is a relatively modest 201 horsepower, but the company promises the car was designed to deliver more than 620 miles (1000 km) of real-world driving on a single charge. But this great claim has the typical squishiness of concept vehicles, as it cannot be compared with the range of any other electric vehicle. It is not a number from the WLTP test cycle commonly used in Europe, nor is it a range number from the US EPA, but what Mercedes calls the result of “digital simulations under real traffic conditions”. It remains to be seen whether it could beat the Lucid Air Dream’s impressive 520-mile EPA rating.
The EQXX looks fit for production – even with the wing mirrors that the crazier forward-thinking concepts are increasingly ditching – but the car seems to indicate next-generation advances rather than a solid promise. According to the company, this concept should serve as a “technology blueprint for series production”.
Mercedes has only released limited technical details, but it’s clear that the EQXX is short and sleek by the brand’s standards. There’s no word on the overall length, but confirmation of a 110.0-inch wheelbase suggests it’ll be slightly longer than the A-Class sedan, the 107.4 inches between the axles and a shorter rear overhang has. We don’t have a width figure, but the front view makes it clear that the EQXX is also much narrower than an average Benz, and also that the rear track with its ultra-slippery shape is five centimeters narrower than the front, which is responsible for a claimed drag coefficient of only 0.17.
202 MPG?
Aerodynamic considerations clearly determined the slim shape of the EQXX, in particular the long, flat angle of the sloping roofline and the retro lowering of the rear fenders, as well as the way the body tucked under the continuous lighting element at the top at the rear, an active, retractable diffuser that extends at high speed. The outline of the trunk lid confirms that the Mercedes vision of the future is also more of a sedan than an equally pleasantly old-fashioned hatchback or SUV.
From the reveal on the livestream on Monday, January 3rd.
Mercedes-Benz via YouTube
The wind-shrinking shape plays a big role in the claimed efficiency of the Mercedes powertrain, with the official publication stating the car can travel six miles on just 1.0 kWh of electrical energy, a number equivalent to a combustion car that is 202 mpg ( almost.) the efficiency, which Mercedes calls “the golden number of one liter per 100 kilometers”). The comparison is made difficult by the fact that, according to Mercedes, the drive train of the EQXX is 95 percent efficient. This means that only 5 percent of the energy that is put into the battery does not end up on the road. Even the most efficient gasoline-powered vehicles struggle to be better than 35 percent. Because of this, the EQXX can achieve a long range without a massive battery pack. Mercedes claims the EQXX has a little less than 100 kWh of usable capacity, about as much energy as 3 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline, but the car is capable of converting a lot more of it into motion. The company is also very proud of the compact size and relatively low weight of the underfloor battery, which is 50 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than the 107.8 kWh package in the EQS.
A 900 volt battery pack
The package was developed jointly with AMG’s High Performance Powertrains Division in Great Britain, which produces Mercedes F1 engines as well as the almost equally exotic power unit for the long-delayed (but almost here) AMG One. This works with a high 900 volts and uses so-called high-silicon anodes, which can store more energy than fewer cells, with a compact design that allows the same housing to hold electronic ballasts. The total weight of the battery, 1,091 pounds, is impressively light given the capacity of the pack, with the car’s claimed total mass of 3,858 pounds being only slightly higher than that of a standard-range Tesla Model 3.
Oddly enough, there’s no official word on the other side of the powertrain other than the obvious confirmation that the EQXX uses a single rear-wheel drive engine. Mercedes says the concept includes an underbody cooling plate for aerodynamic efficiency, active air flaps to channel the cooling air and a heat pump to heat the cabin. It also features solar panels, although these claimed ability to achieve a range of up to 15 miles on a sunny day doesn’t come from directly charging the high-voltage battery, but rather from harnessing the energy created to run the car’s fan . Lighting, infotainment and other ancillary components.
The now inevitable wide infotainment screen
The EQXX’s cabin is dominated by the seemingly inevitable finish to modern UI design – an LED screen that spans the full width of the dash, not interrupted by vertical seams. This is 47.5 inches wide and offers 8K resolution with a 7680 x 660 pixel display that requires considerable graphical firepower to operate. It definitely looks crisp in the pictures. The official press release also raves about the fact that “a star and cloud avatar reminiscent of our namesake Mercedes Jellinek is the ethereal guide. She adapts to the needs of the driver and takes care of the passengers and makes the trip a luxurious experience. “But we have absolutely no idea what that means.
Inside, there is something like a whole series of sustainability boxes ticked off. For example, there are two types of vegan leather, one made from the root structure of mushrooms and the other made from cactus fibers in a “bio-based polyurethane matrix”. There are carpets made of bamboo and there are embellishments where recycled plastics are woven into a shimmering fabric. The outer body consists of so-called low-CO2 steel made from scrap, doors made of carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced plastics.
The efficient minimalism of the EQXX is strongly reminiscent of another future-oriented German prototype: the similarly slippery XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid, which Volkswagen produced in very limited numbers in Europe in 2013. The Mercedes’s four seats and four doors make it more practical and it weighs more than double, but the design of the front end is strikingly similar. It will be interesting to see how much of the EQXX’s mindset carries over into future production models.
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