Mercedes EQXX – 1,000 km real range and more than a show car

January 3, 2022 Fiona Smith

When car manufacturers present their concept vehicle to a knife like the CES, I’m usually rather skeptical and cautious. Too often it is only about maximum show effect and too little about real use cases. For the first time in a long time, the EQXX is a concept vehicle that surprised me positively because it is supposed to be more than just a show car.

Even at first glance, the Mercedes EQXX gives a very streamlined impression. With a drag coefficient of 0.17 with a smaller frontal area than a Smart, the EQXX will have a consumption of less than 10 kWh / 100 km and a range of more than 1,000 km in real use.

According to Mercedes, this also means that it will achieve a range of well over 1,000 km after a standardized test cycle such as WLTP.

I picked out what I think are the most important PM keypoints for the Mercedes EQXX for you:

#EnergyWizard: Measures to increase efficiency lead to extremely low consumption of less than 10 kWh per 100 km (corresponds to more than six miles per kWh).

#ElectricDrive: The radically new drive concept developed by Mercedes-Benz achieves a benchmark efficiency of 95 percent from the battery to the wheels.

#RangeBuster: More than 1,000 km (more than 620 miles) 4 on a single battery charge on public roads enable relaxed long-distance journeys.

#EnergyDensity: Know-how from Formula 1 helped the battery experts to compress the energy storage of the EQXX into an extremely compact format. The battery pack of the VISION EQXX stores almost 100 kWh of energy with 50 percent less volume and 30 percent less weight than the world’s best battery pack of the EQS so far in this regard.

#AeroChamp: Outstanding work in the areas of aerodynamics and exterior design enables a benchmark drag coefficient of 0.17.

#Sustainable Materials: Innovative recycled and vegetable materials avoid waste in landfills and reduce the carbon footprint.

#UpliftMindset: A dedicated team of Mercedes-Benz engineers worked with the racing specialists from High Performance Powertrains (HPP) and Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix (MGP) to develop a highly efficient and compact electric drive train and a lightweight battery housing.

#BionicEngineering: Inspired by natural shapes and in collaboration with innovative start-ups, the engineers used advanced digital tools to reduce weight and reduce waste. With the help of 3D printing, they were able to save excess material.

#SolarPower: Ultra-thin roof panels feed the battery system and provide an additional range of up to 25 km.

#RollingEfficiency: Tires with extremely low rolling resistance and improved aerodynamic geometry, in combination with lightweight magnesium wheels, ensure greater range.

#BrakingLightly: Lightweight aluminum alloy brake discs help reduce the weight of the VISION EQXX.

#EfficiencyOnTheRoad: The all-electric chassis with a lightweight F1 subframe brings racing efficiency to the road.

#HumanMachineMerge: An intuitive user interface and a user experience with support for efficient driving form the perfect interface between people and vehicles in the electric age.

#SensualPurity: A team of exterior and interior designers focused on electromobility created the #EQ Halo Car for the fully electric future. The VISION EQXX underlines the claim of Mercedes-Benz to build the most desirable automobiles.

#FastTechProg: From the proverbial blank sheet of paper to the streets in just 18 months. The VISION EQXX is part of a technology program that can bring innovative solutions to series production readiness faster than ever before.

#Transformation: The VISION EQXX shows the change from Mercedes-Benz to a purely electric and software-based company.

#SoftwareDriven: Software-driven approach as the key to success in achieving efficiency goals and a rapid development process, including a groundbreaking battery management system.

Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX, exterior // Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX, exterior

Efficiency Efficiency and again efficiency – Mercedes EQXX

According to Mercedes, efficiency essentially means achieving more with less. The approach of introducing a vehicle with the EQXX that is designed for maximum efficiency therefore does not seem wrong to me.

If you can install a smaller battery thanks to air resistance and weight savings and thus get further effectively in the end, that’s an important further development.

But it is already true today that an electric drive in a car is fundamentally more efficient than a combustion engine, but efficiency alone is not the sole reason for customers to buy.

I am sure that we will see many approaches that are presented in the EQXX in a similar form in series vehicles of the future.

During the conference call with Markus Schäffer, Mercedes’s Chief Development Officer, I wanted to know whether the form factor of the EQXX had a chance of becoming a production car.

It is of course clear that a board member does not directly disclose the strategy for the coming years at a small conference call when asked for the first time, but my answer nevertheless gave me a rather positive response.

He pointed out that a lot has been planned for 2024 and that there will be a lot to see in terms of form factor as well. According to him, one can be curious and yes, damn it I am, because in case you ask me:

Mercedes should definitely bring the EQXX in this form. Not only in terms of consumption but also in terms of design, it is a real statement. Sustainability has to be cool and sexy, and the EQXX seems to do both very well.

Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX, interior // Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX, interior

Outside and inside …? – Mercedes EQXX

The EQXX not only looks futuristic from the outside but also from the inside. The bionically inspired material recesses are clearly recognizable in the design language.

Of course, efficiency is a great thing, but when it comes to an emotional topic like the car, in my opinion it is only a subordinate aspect if you are honest. That’s why I personally think it’s crucial how good the digital offer inside a car is.

The Mercedes EQXX shows a vision that seems to be a significant further development of the hyperscreen of the Mercedes EQS. Mercedes writes the following in the PM:

The VISION EQXX demonstrates the potential of user interfaces based on a “game engine” with novel graphics and a highly adaptive design. The user interface shows how real-time graphics open up new digital worlds, react immediately to the needs of the driver and bring the real world into the car. The user experience in the VISION EQXX catapults us into an intelligent, software-controlled future. With an impressive design and intuitive operation, the first completely seamless display in a Mercedes-Benz extends over 47.5 inches from one A-pillar to the other. With an 8K resolution (7680 x 660 pixels), the thin and light mini-LED display functions as a portal that connects the driver and occupants with the car and the outside world. The tour guide is a “Star Cloud” avatar who is visually reminiscent of the brand’s namesake, Mercedes Jellinek. It adapts to the needs of the driver, takes care of the passengers and makes the journey a luxurious experience. The system manages information to ensure that the driver gets exactly what he needs at the right time.

That all sounds very nice and still seems much more realistic to me than the unspeakable Mercedes AVTR show car from two years ago.

Mercedes Vision AVTR – What’s the nonsense? (mobilegeeks.de)

The VISION EQXX shows how Mercedes-Benz envisions the future of the electric car. The car has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and an energy consumption of less than 10 kWh per 100 kilometers. The VISION EQXX stands for new standards in terms of energy efficiency and range in real road traffic as well as for the revolutionary development of electric cars. // The VISION EQXX is how Mercedes-Benz imagines the future of electric cars. The car has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers with an outstanding energy consumption of less than 10 kWh per 100 kilometers. The VISION EQXX stands for major new advances: it sets new standards in terms of energy efficiency and range in real-life traffic, and revolutionises the development of electric cars.

First conclusion Mercedes EQXX

As you have probably noticed, the Mercedes EQXX surprised me and I liked it a lot.

The technology program behind the VISION EQXX will redefine and enable future models and vehicle functions from Mercedes-Benz. As a ‘Halo Car’, the VISION EQXX clearly establishes Mercedes-Benz as the brand that combines luxury and technology in the automotive world and beyond. And the way in which we developed this technology program is just as revolutionary as the vehicle itself. For the VISION EQXX, the best minds from our research and development centers worked together with engineers from our Formula 1 and Formula E teams. They prove that innovations from motorsport – where the drive trains are already highly electrified – are of direct relevance to the development of road vehicles. We question the current development processes with an innovative spirit and unconventional thinking. This is our way into the future. Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, Chief Technology Officer responsible for Development and Purchasing

I sincerely hope that Mercedes will live up to its statement “The EQXX is more than a show car” and not allow too much time to pass before we see adaptations in reality. In my opinion, electromobility still needs these kind of halo cars that turn heads. Hopefully Mercedes doesn’t take too much time to implement it.