Mercedes-Benz Drove An Electric Car Over 620 Miles Without Stopping To Charge
Image: Mercedes-Benz
Every automaker with grand EV ambitions is trying to built the ultimate machine for one purpose or another. There are more than a few companies chasing the ever-higher horsepower peak. Mercedes-Benz, however, is attempting to prove that it can build the most efficient and longest-range EVs. With its newest experiment, called MissionXX, the company set out to prove that it could build a sedan which could go nearly twice as far as a Tesla Model 3 Long Range on a single charge. And it did that not with a larger battery, but by going farther on a kWh of energy.
Image: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes isn’t keen to admit exactly how much battery is under the Vision EQXX, only that it has “almost 100 kWh of useable energy” onboard. The company claims that this vehicle went a whopping 621 miles on a single charge, on regular streets, in regular traffic, more than enough to break the 1,000 kilometer barrier, which was the goal. At the end of the 1,000 kilometer trip, there was still another 140 kilometers, give or take, in the tank.
Mercedes claims the EQXX consumes just one kilowatt hour of energy for every 7.14 miles travelled, which is significantly more than the current industry standard. Tesla’s most efficient Model 3, by comparison, goes just 4.16 miles on the same kWh. My old 2010 Nissan Leaf can barely manage to travel 3.3 miles!
Image: Mercedes-Benz
This car was designed from the outset with efficiency in mind. The car is significantly more aerodynamically efficient than anything on the market today. The EQXX as a coefficient of drag of just 0.17, which is miles better than the current industry leading Mercedes EQS and Tesla Model S, which are tied on 0.20. The car was also put on a serious weight loss program, trimming anything and everything that could be, while still looking and functioning like a fairly normal car. This is an amazing piece of engineering, and I applaud their efforts.
Image: Mercedes-Benz
For everyone who claimed they need 600 miles of range before they can make the transition to EVs, start shouting at Mercedes-Benz that you’re ready to throw money into their hands if they make this car production-ready.
