When a new electric car is unveiled, the first highlight is the driving range in a single charge. At 770 km range, the Mercedes EQS, when specifically configurated, is unofficially the furthest range EV for now.
The company is planning to have an electric vehicle achieving a real range of over 1,000 kilometres in a single charge, called the Vision EQXX. A single-digit energy consumption figure (e.g. 6 kWh per 100 km) at normal highway driving speeds is also being targeted.
For reference, an SUV like the Mercedes EQC 400 4Matic, the energy consumption is 21.5 kWh/100 km under the WLTP cycle. As for the other end of the spectrum, the compact Mercedes EQA 250 consumes just 15.7 kWh/100 km. As such, production vehicles still have a long way to go to reach single-digit values.
Mercedes-Benz say experts from the F1 team’s High Performance Powertrain (HPP) division are also working together on the ambitious project and the Vision EQXX is expecting to premiere as soon as next year!
The Vision EQXX is likely to be more of a technical showcase with key technological advances made that will be adapted and applied for potential use in new electric architectures. By 2025, new-generation Mercedes-Benz vehicles will be fully electric, and customers have an option to have a fully-electric alternative for every model the company makes.
More details about the Mercedes-Benz EV roadmap can be found here.
Back in 2014, Volkswagen introduced the XL1, the world’s most fuel-efficient production car in the world. The slippery tear-dropped shaped vehicle returned a fuel consumption value of just 0.9l/100 km, thanks to a plug-in hybrid system with a tiny two-cylinder turbodiesel engine, 10-litre fuel tank and ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre body. It was priced well over EUR100,000, placing the vehicle as a collector’s item and for owners to make a statement.
