Not because of more battery, but because of less weight
An electric car with a range of 1,000 kilometers cannot be parked in your driveway without doing a North/South line. At least you would think so. Yet Mercedes sees a future in which electric cars can easily pass the magical limit of 1,000 kilometers of range without your entire driveway sagging. You are looking at the Mercedes Vision EQXX, a fully electric car that should be able to drive that distance with less than 100 kWh of battery capacity.
The easiest solution for a larger range is a larger battery. The problem that you then have is that the weight increases, so that you need an even larger battery. This way you end up in an upward spiral of weight and size. With the Mercedes EQXX, the brand decided to focus on low weight and air resistance. This EQXX is 40 percent lighter than the EQS and a lot smaller. Incidentally, it is not yet a featherweight: the smooth EV still weighs 1,750 kilos.
On the hunt for range
Every bit of the car has been scrutinized to squeeze out the last mile. All parts have been optimized for weight, air resistance, friction, heat and electrical resistance – right down to the soldering tips. The car is reminiscent of the crazy Volkswagen XL1, which was also hyper-efficient, but with two less doors and a small diesel engine. Although you quickly come to this shape if you want a low air resistance. The Mercedes EQXX should be able to achieve about 10 kilometers per kWh.
Is the Mercedes EQXX not a dull dream of the future?
The battery, motor and all materials should be viable. So there is no crazy solid-state battery under the floor, but just a battery such as Mercedes now also uses. In addition, the EQXX is on the future MB.EA platform due in 2024. Whether this exact Mercedes EQXX will ever really go into production remains to be seen.
