The brand new electric Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX has managed to achieve a 1,000 km public road excursion in one charge after 12 hours. This should put a rest to naysayers of electric vehicles who abuse the range anxiety anecdote at every conceivable opportunity.
A few minutes before sunrise, the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX set off from the company’s Electric Software Hub (ESH) in the cool town of Sindelfingen, Germany. It commenced its travels onto its final destination, 1,000 km away in Cassis, France. Along the way the streamlined model would need to overcome traffic, construction zones and bewildered onlookers who were in essence, in the midst of a vehicle of the future.
The reason I say this is because the Mercedes-Benz EQXX is a working prototype for data collection for the Stuttgart brand to evaluate future technology of mobility. The experimental saloon is powered by an innovative 100-kilowatt-hour air-cooled battery which is packaged in a bullet shaped bodywork that has aerodynamic written all over it. Not physically, but the sleek linework of the shoulder line and uncharacteristically low nose in conjunction with the wheel caps allude to this.
Its overall energy consumption is claimed at 10 kWh/100 km which yields a range of over 1,000 km but since electric vehicles are still mostly considered a dark art, Mercedes-Benz decided to put the claims into practice and show the world the possibilities of electric mobility.
Of course, this feat wouldn’t have been possible without the technology that is regenerative braking which converts and stores kinetic energy for immediate or later use. The selectable levels of regeneration in the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX enabled the drivers to achieve the best efficiency when traversing the mountainous North of Italy and long open highway stretches, barely requiring the use of the actual brakes.
The experimental Mercedes-Benz also employs solar power to power auxiliary features such as the infotainment, navigation system, power accessories, and speakers. While it may not be the furthest non-solar powered electric vehicle distance achieved on one charge, this experimental model bodes well for the future of EV’s as a compromise between green efficiency and long distance travel.
