The Mercedes EQXX vision shows the capabilities of serial production

The EQXX achieves a range of up to 1200 km. (Photo: Mercedes)

If you wish, the Vision EQXX is a bit like the Mercedes 200 D – it has only been carried into modern times. Since the era of the Mercedes fin at the end of the 1950s, the “200 D” brand has represented extreme economy, but also sluggishness. Memories of this appear when looking at the datasheet It reads that the Vision EQXX only reaches a top speed of 140 km/h. But that’s only half the truth, because you don’t let him. It can run more than 300 km / h, with a power of only 180 kW / 245 hp, which is quite modest by today’s standards. You don’t have to be a physics genius to guess how aerodynamic your EQ should be: cD 0.17! But the unusual car shines with other characteristics. The concept car weighs only 1,755 kilograms and is the lightest among electronic cars. After all, 100 kWh of battery capacity sleeps under the sparkling silver outer skin.

Now, Mercedes has invited people to try out the concept for themselves at the wheel. He’s already proven that the group trusts EQXX to do quite a few tracks. The responsible developers from Sindelfingen have already been sent to the south of France for a test drive. In doing so, the EQXX not only had to cover the distance but also overcome difficult trails like the Alps. This is not a problem, but the car’s technicians completed the road trip with an average consumption of 8.7 kWh. A second trip from Stuttgart to Silverstone in the UK could be managed at a rate of 8.3 kWh per 100 km – so the battery lasted for a breathtaking 1,200 km.

We weren’t allowed to cover those many kilometers with the striking, but after only a few kilometers we found out that it was stingy with electricity consumption but by no means fun to drive. A strong impulse of low temperature makes the corners of the mouth tremble quickly. However: I noticed right away that EQXX couldn’t go into series production like this. The simple seats and somewhat rugged chassis rob the prototype of any residual comfort. Some things should be fixed – for minimal consumption. The narrow profile tires of the dimensions 185/65 R20 combined with the extremely smooth rim surfaces should provide the least possible windage. The engineers were especially proud of the fact that they were able to do without wheel covers that were visually annoying. In return, they give him a solar roof to take with him, which ideally produces electricity for 25 kilometers on a sunny day.

But what are the results and perhaps even the components that can be implemented in the production chain in the short or at least medium term? Not to be completely empty-handed when it comes to this question, Mercedes technicians have stripped a standard GLC and fitted it with the EQXX drivetrain. The battery pack does not have magic technology, but the electrical engineers managed to significantly increase the energy density. With 400 watt-hours per liter volume, the high-tech package stores twice as much electricity as current batteries, and Mercedes achieves 30 percent weight savings.

Of course, the converted GLC still weighs more than two tons. High, unladen weights are one of the biggest sticking points in electric mobility. But in the later series, the car doesn’t necessarily have to ride with the 100 kWh package donated by technicians to EQXX. By the way, Mercedes doesn’t push it to the extreme when it comes to charging technology, making it a moderate 100 kW. The Mercedes engineers’ argument: You don’t have to charge the EQXX in a hurry, because it can cover more than a thousand kilometers on a single battery charge, depending on your driving style.

If the same engineers could create a production car in its context that combines relatively good aerodynamics and a fairly light 60 kWh battery, it would be a step forward. The goals are not even unrealistic. So it remains exciting. On the return trip in EQE AMG From the Mercedes test center in Emmenden to Stuttgart – the business class in full series production – the display shows a range of approximately 500 km on a single charge level Less than 90 percent.