The Mercedes-Benz pure electric concept car EQXX proves that it is not a paper tiger. This Mercedes-Benz technology-integrated electric car has a range of 1,008 kilometers on a single charge and that is not the limit of the battery.
In January of this year, Mercedes released the Vision EQXX concept car with an ultra-low 0.17 Cd wind resistance coefficient to achieve a design with a cruising range of 1,000 kilometers. What is the actual result on the road? It seems that Mercedes really did what it said.
The EQXX actually drove 1,008 kilometers from Neudelfingen, where the factory is located, through the Alps and northern Italy, with a driving time of 11.5 hours. After reaching the destination Cassis on the Cote d'Azur, EQXX’s computer showed 140 kilometers remaining on the battery.
When the concept car was announced, Mercedes claimed that the energy consumption of the EQXX was only 10 kWh per 100 kilometers, far exceeding the performance of electric vehicles on the market. Achieving their original goal, based on this energy consumption, the EQXX's single-trip endurance is about 1,149 kilometers.
▲ Mercedes Vision EQXX Test Roadmap
This time, the actual measurement was very different from the previous extreme endurance running methods of Hyundai and Kia. When the EQXX set off, it drove directly on the road to a speed of more than 140 kilometers per hour, and the average speed of the whole trip was close to 90 kilometers per hour, which can fully reflect actual driver behavior.
In addition to the EQXX's chassis design and various technological add-ons to reduce wind resistance, its tires are also worth mentioning. According to Mercedes, the best tire rolling coefficient required by the European Union is 6.5, which is the class A drag-reducing tire, while Mercedes-Benz's own flagship electric vehicle EQS uses a drag-reducing tire with a coefficient of 5.9, which is higher than the EU's highest specification. However, the EQXX uses special tires in partnership with Bridgestone, with a rolling coefficient of only 4.7, making it a major contributor to ultra-high endurance.
The specifications of this tire are also very special, 185/65 R20 97T. Although it is a 20-inch tire, it has a narrow tread pattern. With the introduction of Turanza ECO technology, it not only has a low rolling coefficient, but also reduces weight by 20%. The inner structure of the tire was also jointly researched and developed by Mercedes-Benz and Bridgestone to reduce tire deformation and Mercedes-Benz has even added aerodynamic design at the junction of the rim and the tire to maximize efficiency.
As we all know, Mercedes has dominated the F1 arena in the past ten years and the EQXX has unceremoniously misappropriated a lot of F1 car designs, especially the lightweight structure, so that the weight of the entire car is only 1,755 kg, which is lighter than the endurance version of Tesla Model 3.
The fancy gadget Mercedes has fitted to the EQXX for the entire 1,008-kilometer trip, has also played a role. According to official analysis, the 117 small solar cells on the chassis contributed about 25 kilometers of battery life during this trip. If the trip in Italy was longer, it may have contributed more.
Although such a long battery life should be hardly used by ordinary car owners, Mercedes-Benz will definitely apply the energy-saving technology on the EQXX to other car models. From the current energy consumption of EQS that averages more than 20kWh per 100 kilometers, it is impossible to progress to 10kWh like the EQXX, but maybe it can be improved to 15kWh per 100 kilometers, which would be a huge advantage.
If Mercedes is bored enough and willing to learn Kia's previous record-breaking driving style, the EQXX is likely to the the world record at 2,000 kilometers.
（Image：Daimler）