The Mercedes-EQ Vision EQXX will set the pace for next-gen electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, which could happen as soon as 2024

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FRANKFURT, GERMANY

Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off its latest electric vehicle prototype, which it calls the  Vision EQXX prototype. The rakish, C-Class sized sedan with a very aerodynamic body shape is claimed to have a range of more than 1,000km per charge, more than almost every series production EV made to date. The range is also almost 300km more than the Mercedes-EQ EQS, the brand’s current flagship EV sedan.  

Mercedes-Benz states that the Vision EQXX has been conceived to “challenge existing EV principles in a programme aimed at hatching new ideas, processes and innovations for adoption on upcoming EVs”. Could such a long-ranged EV be made within a few years? The brand claims that it is well within the realms of possibility. 

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The brand’s chief technology officer Markus Schäfer has confirmed that the concept is a running and driving prototype, and will actually form the basis of Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation EV drivetrain, set to enter series production in 2024.

As if to underscore the production capability of the Vision EQXX, the user interface is based on the brand’s present MBUX software and is completely usable in everyday conditions.

The Vision EQXX doesn’t just make do with a larger battery pack, but gets the job done by being more efficient with its power usage. It has an energy consumption of less than 10 kilowatt hours (kWh) per 100 km. Presently, most production EVs like the BMW iX3 and Mercedes’ own EQC manage around 20kWh per 100km. 

The car’s electric drivetrain, built in-house, offers 95% efficiency, meaning that only five percent of energy is wasted on things like heat and friction losses. The drivetrain only provides a max output of 150 kW though, which is equivalent to 201hp.

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Compare this to a modern-day, petrol-powered internal combustion engine, which loses around 70 percent of the power generated to heat, pumping losses, and friction in the driveline.

The Vision EQXX houses a newly developed battery pack containing nearly 100 kWh of energy, but is 50% smaller and 30% lighter than the battery pack in the large EQS sedan.

The car also has very little wind resistance with a cd of just 0.17, helping it cut through the air with less effort. By comparison, a football has a drag coefficient of 0.25. 

Not to be left behind by BMW’s sustainability efforts, Mercedes has clearly stated that it is implementing recycled and plant-based materials in production, to help remove waste from landfills and lower its carbon footprint during vehicle production

Some components of the Vision EQXX prototype will soon be available in Mercedes-Benz vehicles within two to three years, Schäfer said. However, he declined to specify when the 1,000 km-range battery and powertrain would be market-ready. Still, he was bullish about the car’s development.

He said, “We will likely be the first to produce a 1,000 km-range car in real life, with such a small battery.”

When such a vehicle would go on sale would be a “market decision”, determined once Mercedes-Benz has established how much range customers expected, and perhaps more importantly, how much they would be willing to pay, he said.

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