E-prototype from Mercedes: 1000 kilometers on one battery charge

Status: 04.01.2022 8:51 a.m.

Mercedes has presented a research vehicle in Las Vegas that can travel up to 1,000 kilometers on a single battery charge. It is not yet clear when and whether the car will be available to buy.

Daimler wants to prove that even with electrically powered vehicles long ranges can be achieved without the hassle of recharging the battery. At the CES technology fair in Las Vegas, the Stuttgart-based carmaker presented the Vision EQXX, a research vehicle that can travel a good thousand kilometers with a compact battery without recharging. That corresponds to the distance from Berlin to Paris and is roughly double what most electric cars can do today.

Components and technical details of the car could be seen in future series vehicles in two to three years, said Daimler board member Markus Schäfer. The manager responsible for development and purchasing at the company stated that the car should be tested on the road in a few months: “We will now show the 1000 kilometers,” said Schäfer, referring to the announced range.

Battery also fits in a small car

Daimler CEO Ola Källenius said, according to a statement, the research vehicle shows “how we imagine the future of the electric car”. It had a battery that would fit in a small car. In fact, the battery in the EQXX is only half the size and almost a third lighter than existing ones. However, the energy content remains almost identical thanks to an energy density that has been increased by a fifth.

In addition to the battery, Daimler has also broken new ground in terms of aerodynamics and equipment in order to build a light and therefore energy-efficient car. The company itself speaks of an “efficiency champion” who has achieved top marks in terms of aerodynamics and weight.

The low drag coefficient, which is used to measure the aerodynamic properties of a vehicle, is particularly outstanding. At 0.17, the EQXX is significantly below that of the EQS, the world’s most streamlined production car to date, with a value of 0.20. In addition, according to Daimler, the vehicle has a drive with an efficiency of 95 percent, which is up to ten percent more than conventional electric cars.

New materials for weight loss

In order to reduce the weight of the vehicle, Daimler is using completely new materials. The door handles are made of synthetic silk and the carpets in the interior are made of bamboo fibers. Instead of leather, surfaces based on cacti are used in the EQXX. On the outside of the roof, wafer-thin solar panels are supposed to supply the battery system with energy, and the steel for the body comes from one hundred percent scrap.

Daimler is currently being slowed down by the shortage of semiconductors. According to the shepherd, it will continue in the first half of the year. “That will continue to accompany us,” he said in Las Vegas. However, the situation could possibly ease somewhat in the second half of the year. The shortage of semiconductors and other electronic components is a problem for the entire automotive industry and has already led to production restrictions at several manufacturers.

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