Mercedes Wants to Reach 1,000 Kilometres with A Single Charge

The latest Mercedes prototype aims to achieve a range of 1,000 kilometres. In addition, the company has the ambition also to make the most economical battery ever.

With its Vision EQXX prototype, Mercedes-Benz is proposing an electric car with which you can, in principle, travel from Belgium to the south of France in one charge. Moreover, it should be the most efficient Mercedes ever, with less than 10 kWh per 100 kilometres. For comparison: Tesla Model S60 consumes 18.1 kWh per hundred kilometres.

The concept car was built in 18 months and had a new compact battery that contained more energy in proportion to its volume. As a result, almost 400 Wh/l (watt-hours per litre) is achieved. Solar panels have also been incorporated into the car for a little extra power. Something that the Dutch LightYear also did a few years ago.

According to Reuters, the prototype will be tested on various roads in the first half of this year. The automat wants to market only electric versions of its new models from 2025. It will also pump 40 billion euros into the development of electric cars between now and 2030.

But the car will remain a concept for the time being. Therefore, Mercedes-Benz cannot yet say when and whether the vehicle will actually come on the market. However, parts from the car will appear in other cars within three years.

Whether a car with such autonomy will come out will depend on market demand. Therefore, the announcement of Mercedes-Benz is primarily an opportunity to show that as a classic automaker, it can also compete with a new player such as Tesla.

That is also the problem with concept cars. They show promise around new features, but you can’t test drive them, you can’t check the promises, and it remains vague if and in what form they will ever be for sale.

For example, in 2015, at CES, Mercedes presented a prototype of an autonomous vehicle with a seat that can rotate when you are not driving. That car was then presented as the future of the car in terms of design, design and communication. However, seven years later, that prototype also remains mainly a prototype and a lot of press attention for something that does not really exist.