MERCEDES-BENZ Imaginative and prescient EQXX has now confirmed itself on the roads of Europe. The model’s idea mannequin set a record-breaking low common vitality consumption determine of simply 8.7kWh per 100 km on a cross-country journey that started in Sindelfingen and crossed the Swiss Alps and Northern Italy earlier than ending within the village of Cassis on the Côte d’Azur.
Contending with a wide range of climate circumstances – and regular site visitors – the Imaginative and prescient EQXX coated greater than 1000km on a single battery cost, at instances reaching speeds of as much as 140km/h on Germany’s autobahns, and travelling close to the velocity restrict elsewhere, stated Mercedes-Benz. The check unit accomplished its journey with 15 per cent battery cost left!
The long-distance drive was accomplished with the charging socket sealed and accompanied by an impartial skilled from certification physique TÜV Süd. Mercedes-Benz says the drive is symbolic of the journey from inside combustion to electrical energy and proves the know-how is now able to undertake even the longest highway journeys.
“We did it! Powering via greater than 1000 kilometres with ease on a single battery cost and a consumption of solely 8.7kWh per 100km in real-world site visitors circumstances,” stated Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius.
“The Imaginative and prescient EQXX is probably the most environment friendly Mercedes-Benz ever constructed. The know-how programme behind it marks a milestone within the growth of electrical automobiles. It underpins our strategic purpose to ‘Lead in Electrical’.”
Mercedes-Benz says the journey proves that the know-how behind the Imaginative and prescient EQXX is now possible for market introduction. The mannequin combines a slippery drag coefficient of simply 0.173 with applied sciences resembling a 180kW (peak) electrical motor set on the rear axle, which pulls energy from a 100kWh battery pack set beneath the passenger cabin.
The system could be topped up by way of a sequence of 117 photo voltaic cells set within the car’s roof, which might contribute as a lot as 25km of driving vary every day.
The battery pack of the Imaginative and prescient EQXX is 50 per cent smaller and 30 per cent lighter than the one fitted within the Mercedes-Benz EQS and is charged by way of a traditional 900V high-speed plug. Additionally it is as much as 95 per cent environment friendly, which signifies that as a lot as 95 per cent of the vitality it displaces finally ends up on the wheels.
Mercedes-Benz stated in real-world eventualities, most house owners would solely have to cost their Imaginative and prescient EQXX as soon as a month, as a result of the mannequin is able to travelling as much as 300km on simply quarter-hour’ cost time.
The Imaginative and prescient EQXX rides on model-specific Bridgestone Turanza Evo tyres that present each rolling resistance and weight reductions of as much as 20 per cent over typical tyres.
The “road-legal analysis prototype” confronted a wide range of terrains and circumstances on its European trek, encountering temperatures starting from three to 18 levels Celsius.
The car’s comparatively low weight (1755kg) allowed it to preserve vitality on the 14km uphill slog from Amsteg to Göschenen, stated Mercedes-Benz – the 495kg battery pack was by far the car’s heaviest part. On the downhill part following the Gotthard Tunnel, the mannequin “barely used” its mechanical brakes, as an alternative recuperating as a lot vitality as attainable to top-up the battery for the rest of the journey.
Because the car navigated the roads of northern Italy, a sunny break allowed the rooftop photo voltaic cells so as to add an additional allowance of two per cent to the energy-dense battery and, due to minimal vitality losses throughout the motor, inverter and transmission, the additional change meant the car was in a position to journey an additional 25km on solar energy alone.
By way of Italy, Switzerland and into France, the automobile’s effectivity assistant offered the motive force with data on vitality circulate, battery standing, topography and even the course and depth of the wind and solar. Delivered via a one-piece show floor that spans all the width of the inside, the EQXX’s digital interface “helps seamless interplay between the car and the motive force” and “opens up new digital potentialities by reacting immediately to the motive force’s wants”, Mercedes-Benz says.
After 11 hours and 32 minutes driving time, the Imaginative and prescient EQXX completed its 1008km highway journey in Cassis, France with 140km vary remaining.
Mercedes-Benz chief know-how officer Markus Schäfer says the journey has unequivocally confirmed the real-world potential of excellent effectivity for electrical automobiles and that extra revolutionary developments are already within the model’s pipeline.
“With our profitable highway journey to the South of France, we’ve proven that effectivity is the brand new foreign money. And this success additionally clearly speaks for our new collaborative growth course of, incorporating many learnings from the Mercedes-AMG F1 group and its cutting-edge experience in electrical powertrains.
“The Imaginative and prescient EQXX is the results of a complete programme that gives a blueprint for the way forward for automotive engineering. Most of the developments are already being built-in into manufacturing, a few of them within the subsequent era of modular structure for compact and midsize Mercedes‑Benz automobiles. And the journey continues.
“With the Imaginative and prescient EQXX, we are going to preserve testing the bounds of what’s attainable.”
