The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX is a concept design study that was showcased at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Usually, concept cars are either outrageously designed to take your breath away. But other times they hint at a possible vehicle coming in the near future and is close to production. The Vision EQXX is neither. Instead, it is a preview of how Mercedes-Benz envisions the battery electric vehicle to evolve. While the EQXX will not directly spawn a production model. It will, however, look to pave the way in improving and evolving the BEV as we know it.
Mercedes Vision EQXX: The Vision
The EQXX is a four-door coupe with a very aerodynamic and lightweight body. It is designed to be the most efficient electric vehicle ever made. The main target for the engineers was to squeeze out the maximum amount of range without expanding the battery capacity. They did that by reducing energy losses within the vehicle. The battery was also refined and redesigned to make it smaller, thus reducing its weight. All of that to reach the magic number of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of range on a single charge.
The battery capacity of the EQXX is 100 kWh, 8 kWh less than the highest-spec production model Mercedes-Benz EQS. Furthermore, the vehicle is compact, measuring nearly the same size as a C-Class. But more importantly, it is very slippery. The body has a drag coefficient of 0.18cd, the lowest of any car ever.
However, the EQXX is unlike every other electric car that is using power and torque to impress buyers with 600+hp performance. It leans more towards efficiency here as well, using only a 204hp electric motor. Mercedes-Benz essentially envisions a future where EVs are judged by the miles-per-kWh like traditional vehicles are with their miles-per-gallon figures.
The Best Feature Of The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX
Sure, there may be some cool elements in the cabin and the aerodynamic design. For this electric car, the battery is quite obviously the coolest. We are not talking just about the largely air-cooled design of the battery. The engineering of the entire battery is extremely clever.
To help with the development, Mercedes-Benz employed its performance division, AMG as well as its Formula One High-Performance Powertrains team to help with the design. The engineers were able to make the EQXX battery down to half the size compared to the one in the EQS. In fact, the small battery would fit the small EQA as well.
Thanks to the heavy use of lightweight materials, the battery weight has been significantly reduced, dropping over 1,000 lbs. The electric architecture has been designed specifically to reduce the number of energy losses throughout the vehicle.
The efficiency has been drawn from the battery thanks to the increased use of silicon in the anode. It is expected to be more energy-dense. The EV architecture also uses a 900v system, which means it can charge the batteries very quickly, compatible with 300V DC fast chargers.
Vision EQXX: The Efficient Use Of Energy
10 kWh / 60 miles is the energy consumption the Mercedes-Benz EQXX promises in real-world conditions. With the weight reduction, a teardrop-inspired efficient low drag design, special low resistance tires, and an energy dense battery all work together to squeeze out the most from the vehicle.
Further, the EQXX is assisted by 117 solar panels placed on its roof. The automaker says it will help reduce the load from the vehicle’s battery to power the in-cabin electronics system. On a bright sunny day, Mercedes claims it can help add 15 miles of range a day.
The Other Cool Features Of The Vision EQXX
The EQXX uses a full carbon fiber body that helps cut down its weight. The long tail design helps smooth out the airflow, but it also features a retractable diffuser that deploys at high speed. It is designed to help the car stay grounded (dreadful pun intended).
The interior materials are all vegan and recycled PET bottle plastic. It features substitute leather, bamboo fiber carpets, and synthetic silk door pulls. However, the insulation panels inside do use chicken bones. So think of that what you will.
The interior also features a massive wide-screen infotainment system on the dash that uses a highly efficient panel running at 8K resolution. This screen spreads across the width of the dash and looks extremely cool.
Sure, the EQXX is not a car that we will see on the road ever. However, it will help inspire future Mercedes-Benz electric cars from the EQ brand. The technology, aerodynamic design, and philosophy of the EQXX will eventually trickle down into next-generation models from Mercedes-Benz.