With a range of around 1,200 kilometers, the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX has set a new efficiency record. The company announced ch the electric car used only 8.3 kilowatt hours (kWh) to travel 100 km, on a trip from Stuttgart to Silverstone in the UK. This is 0.4 kWh / 100 km less than the value of a previous test drive on the French Mediterranean coast. In total the car has driven something like 1,202 km.
Mercedes-Benz presented the prototype at CES 2022. With a battery of about 100 kWhthe EQXX should consume less than 10 kWh every 100 km. This corresponds to an equivalent liter of petrol. The low consumption is combined, among other things, with a low drag coefficient, which in this case is equal to 0.17. This is 0.2 less than the EQS luxury sedan. Additionally, the concept study, weighing around 1,750kg, is significantly lighter than the EQS, whose 450+ model weighs nearly 2.5 tonnes.
According to information, the journey from Stuttgart to Silverstone took 14.5 hours (pure travel time). The average speed was 83 km / h, the maximum speed of 140 km / h. According to Mercedes, “summer temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius, coupled with increasing traffic density around Stuttgart and in the south-east of England, were the biggest challenges on this trip.”
Mercedes Vision EQXX, autonomy did not affect the air conditioning on
During the trip, the air conditioning was on for just over eight hours and had only a minimal impact on overall energy consumption. According to Mercedes, the interplay of air fins, coolant valves and pumps ensures “that the electric drive unit maintains a highly efficient temperature balance with minimal energy consumption”.
The airflow management, combined with a cooling plate installed in the vehicle floor, allows you to take advantage of the air flowing along the underside of the Vision EQXX. This is “the most aerodynamically efficient way to keep the electric drive cool under normal conditions.”
Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will further develop many of the vehicle’s technologies that will be used in future production cars. However, it should not be possible to reduce an electric E-Class so much in terms of weight, performance and top speed that fuel consumption is reduced to below 10 kWh / 100 km. However, this could prove possible with high-end and luxury families such as AMG, Maybach or G-Class.