Mercedes-Benz recently took the wraps off the all-new Vision EQXX concept this week, and boy it’s a hoot! The concept car comes with a 1,000 km range (648 miles), a design that is more aerodynamic than a football and all-vegan leather on the inside.
On paper, the Vision EQXX has the Lucid Air beat by 160km (100 miles) and the highest-range Tesla by 320km (200 miles), making it the electric vehicle with the highest range in the world.
But concepts often hold promises they can’t keep, right? This one might. Mercedes claims that the Vision EQXX is supposed to be grounded in reality.
The 1,000km range estimate was derived from hours of real-life traffic simulations. Further adding that it’ll consume the battery at a rate of 10kWh per 100kms, which roughly translates to 1-litre of fossil fuel per 100km. Or, keeping the AC on for 3 hours.
So how did they do this? Just by cramming a huge battery under the floor? Well, no. The company has given extra attention to the lightweight design and aerodynamics of the car.
The Vision EQXX’ tear-shaped design supposedly makes it more aerodynamic than a football. It also gets special tyres and lightweight magnesium wheels which cut down on rolling resistance. Not to mention, with a weight of 1,750kg the Vision EQXX is about a ton lighter than the Mercedes all-electric EQS sedan.
But don’t expect any track days with this one. Under the hood, in this case, under the floor, it packs 200PS of power. This is remarkably lower than Lucid Air (1080 PS) and the Tesla Model S (825 PS). Instead, the company claims the EQXX is geared towards “long road trips.”
To aid that, the Vision EQXX gets 117 solar cells integrated into its roof. According to the company, these alone can give you an extra charge worth 25km on a bright sunny day.
Right, enough with the specs. Step inside the EQXX and you’ll notice a massive 47.5-inch 8K screen, which stretches across the full width of the car.
Mercedes claims it’s developing a “real-time 3D navigation system” which will enable zoom and scroll functionality from a wide satellite view down to a height of 10 meters in 3D.
Of course, the shades of luxury aren’t lost on the EQXX. It comes with a comfy, luxurious cabin which is mostly made out of all-vegan leather, like mushroom fibre, bamboo and cacti.
Some surfaces are even made out of recycled plastic bottles. In fact, the body frame is filled with a material called ‘UBQ’ which is made from landfill waste and trash.
That said, will we ever see this concept going into production anytime soon? Maybe in parts. Mercedes says that the EQXX is just a preview of future hyper-efficient cars. But many of the EQXX’ technological advancements will be integrated into future production vehicles.
We for one are keeping our fingers crossed.
(Image Sources: Mercedes-Benz)
