We test an electric Mercedes that can can go 747 miles on a single charge

Mercedes-Benz built the Vision EQXX for ultimate efficiency, but still in comfort.

Read the whole story

 

[SixDegrees]

...the sole EQXX should be considered priceless, but I'd guess somewhere in the range of three Bugatti Pur Sports.

Hmm. So the same price as a perfume bottle full of Novichok, per The Boys?

 

[watermeloncup]

Great article! Normally I don't care at all about concept cars, but this one is much more of an engineering prototype designed to explore technical ideas than your typical concept car. I like the idea of a car designed for maximum efficiency while still remaining comfortable. The idea to cool the battery using a big old heatsink is kind of intriguing. I'm skeptical that battery technology is good enough for that to work well, but it seems worth investigating.

 

[nhojb]

The shape is reminiscent of an Aston Martin DB5 somehow. Rather attractive given the design constraints.

It's rated at a useable 70.2 kWh

Range is incredible. Puts my Tesla Model Y to shame :-(

 

[A_Very_Tired_Geek]

So I wonder if these numbers the car makers are giving out are including AC going full blast the entire time the vehicle is being driven. If not, how much does AC eat into their range? I realize a lot of places don't consider things like AC, but even northern Europe is going to start wanting AC as the climate gets more extreme going forward.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

So I wonder if these numbers the car makers are giving out are including AC going full blast the entire time the vehicle is being driven. If not, how much does AC eat into their range? I realize a lot of places don't consider things like AC, but even northern Europe is going to start wanting AC as the climate gets more extreme going forward.

The AC was running during my test, considering the heat dome that was affecting Europe this week.

 

[SixDegrees]

So I wonder if these numbers the car makers are giving out are including AC going full blast the entire time the vehicle is being driven. If not, how much does AC eat into their range? I realize a lot of places don't consider things like AC, but even northern Europe is going to start wanting AC as the climate gets more extreme going forward.

Well, it won't cut range in half, which is what it would have to do to get it down into the range ordinary EVs experience. So, less range, but still a helluva a lot of range.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

and what a deal, starting at over $100,000! Ars readers, this is chicken-feed for us! I have that money in my couch cushions, just like everyone else.

Guess how I know you didn’t read a single word of this article. Go on, guess.

 

[Deleted member 174040]

A pure engineering exercise or world record breaker wouldn't bother with a functional infotainment system that uses a single 44-inch 8k display, nor a completely trimmed interior, even if it is one that uses a cactus fiber fabric instead of leather, bamboo fiber carpets, and a biotech-derived silk, among other innovations.

I’m kinda interested in knowing more about some of these interesting sounding textiles.

 

[SixDegrees]

A pure engineering exercise or world record breaker wouldn't bother with a functional infotainment system that uses a single 44-inch 8k display, nor a completely trimmed interior, even if it is one that uses a cactus fiber fabric instead of leather, bamboo fiber carpets, and a biotech-derived silk, among other innovations.

I’m kinda interested in knowing more about some of these interesting sounding textiles.

Second that; sounds like a decent article topic.

 

[Papewaio]

I'm not much of a car person compared to many here. But concept cars always spark the what if/what could the future look like.

I will never drive these high end cars outside of a video game. But concept cars are one part of the economy that I have seen concrete trickle down effects. First some of the ideas get launched iin high end cars, and then over time things that were just high end become common place.

It's like watching a more accurate version of the Jetsons.

 

[Dan Homerick]

I love the shape of the thing. The extreme streamlining may not make for much cargo space, but it's downright sexy.

 

[TechnologyDinosaur]

Apart from all the neat concept engineering, I like the design a lot too. Hope that trickles into future models

 

[Zylon]

Don't leave me hanging... What happened when you gave it full throttle that one time? How does that compare to an ICE Mercedes of similar size, and/or other EVs?

 

[rachel612]

I currently drive a Hyundai Kona electric Melbourne/Sydney return every couple of weeks, and charging twice to 80% along the way isn't great, so I will totally be ready for anything that could do the trip sans recharge. While I enjoy stopping for coffee my coffee breaks don't take that long. If something that can do 900km+ is available in a few years that will be the car I trade the Hyundai for.

 

[Dan Homerick]

We only have the cover shot to see the front hood, but it looks like it has a couple of ... nostrils? I assume those are air intakes of some sort, but I'm surprised they're right on the hood like that.

 

[BeowulfSchaeffer]

While I am not a huge fan of the car reviews, I do read the ones on electric vehicles, but I was drawn this time, and this is a first, not to what the article had I have to say, but the images. That's just a beautiful car.

 

[germanofthebored]

I think one of the interesting possibilities that this concept car points to is a car that could do a respectable 370 miles on a 37/kWh battery. Cheaper, lighter, much more practical than the EQXX.

 

[Turbofrog]

I think one of the interesting possibilities that this concept car points to is a car that could do a respectable 370 miles on a 37/kWh battery. Cheaper, lighter, much more practical than the EQXX.

That would be fantastic. If Mercedes ends up being the one to make the EV version of the Miata, I may need look twice...

 

[Klinn]

Given the emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency, I'm surprised the by the large-ish gap between tire and fender. Wouldn't that increase turbulence at that location? Sure, you gotta leave enough distance for suspension travel, but it seems like production Mercedes (and BMW) sedans usually have tighter gaps already.

 

[mikelama]

So they told you to go full throttle and you did it and…
And what? You don’t say what happened! Did it zoom?

 

[greendave]

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and the 7.44 mi/kWh that the author achieved is far from shabby.

That being said, speed is often the biggest enemy of efficiency in EVs. I drive a Chevy Bolt which is about as far from aerodynamic as they come, and yet an enterprising pair of Germans managed to eke 466 miles out of one a few years back, by driving between 20 and 30mph. By my calculation, that amounts to ~7.9 mi/kWh.

So I guess my question is what sort of numbers does this design (EQXX) put up when driven at normal freeway speeds (say 65-70mph)?

 

[SixDegrees]

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and the 7.44 mi/kWh that the author achieved is far from shabby.

That being said, speed is often the biggest enemy of efficiency in EVs. I drive a Chevy Bolt which is about as far from aerodynamic as they come, and yet an enterprising pair of Germans managed to eke 466 miles out of one a few years back, by driving between 20 and 30mph. By my calculation, that amounts to ~7.9 mi/kWh.

So I guess my question is what sort of numbers does this design (EQXX) put up when driven at normal freeway speeds (say 65-70mph)?

Well, to a first order approximation air resistance goes as the square of velocity, so doubling Gitlin's ~30mph would probably drop the range by about 0.7, or ~5.2mi/kWh?

 

[Stahn Aileron]

One step closer to Super Pursuit Mode.

 

[Walt Dizzy]

Thanks for the review, Dr. Gitlin.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and the 7.44 mi/kWh that the author achieved is far from shabby.

That being said, speed is often the biggest enemy of efficiency in EVs. I drive a Chevy Bolt which is about as far from aerodynamic as they come, and yet an enterprising pair of Germans managed to eke 466 miles out of one a few years back, by driving between 20 and 30mph. By my calculation, that amounts to ~7.9 mi/kWh.

So I guess my question is what sort of numbers does this design (EQXX) put up when driven at normal freeway speeds (say 65-70mph)?

Well, to a first order approximation air resistance goes as the square of velocity, so doubling Gitlin's ~30mph would probably drop the range by about 0.7, or ~5.2mi/kWh?

The 1,006 km drive to Cassis averaged 54.4 mph. So no, it’d do more than 7 miles/kWh.

 

[MdNvS]

When I was a teenager, aerodynamics were a kinda big thing, and I was reading magazines and admiring the achievements... And then nothing, for a long while, seemed that 0.30 was as low as anyone bothered to go, data wasn't even being published. Finally a concept car that puts an emphasis on air resistance. And with a few electric Mercedes cars already released, it feels like I'm finally seeing the future I was hoping to see. Too many cars nowadays look like they're wrinkled for no reason, but this is simply reason and efficiency.

 

[lellololes]

So I wonder if these numbers the car makers are giving out are including AC going full blast the entire time the vehicle is being driven. If not, how much does AC eat into their range? I realize a lot of places don't consider things like AC, but even northern Europe is going to start wanting AC as the climate gets more extreme going forward.

Just an FYI - A/C doesn't eat much in to EV range. In typical heat it'll use a smidge more power...

I drove about 80 miles today with the A/C on to a comfortable setting (It was 98F and sunny), and averaged ~245 watt hours/mile in my Model 3. It was mostly highway driving and some street/city driving. I was accelerating hard and cruising at typical speeds of ~65-70mph on the highway. That's a bit "worse" than EPA range, but I was not driving in an intentionally efficient manner.

If it was cooler and I kept the air off, it may have been 230 watt hours/mile. If I blasted it, I might have used ~270 watt hours/mile.

Short drives show disproportionately high power usage from air conditioning, due to needing to get the car down from, say, 150F to 75F. But once the car has cooled off a bit power usage drops a lot. Also, drives at very slow speeds will show elevated consumption rates.

It takes maybe 1kwh of battery power to air condition the cabin of the car for an hour. I often eat lunch in my car when I'm at work, and between preconditioning the car and "idling", I see it drop 1% on most days, and occasionally 2%.

If you're the sort of person that literally puts the air on the maximum setting and never turns it down, it will consume more power, but that's an extreme use case. And it won't be THAT much more power - though the more efficient the vehicle, the more of a difference the air will make.

 

[MarkJR]

I cannot wait to get mine in 2035.

 

[tilde nirvana]

Mercedes-Benz provided flights from DC to Stuttgart and back, plus two nights in a hotel so we could drive the Vision EQXX as well as the EQB (which you can read about on Monday). Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

I wish Ars would change this disclosure language or better yet, change their policy on accepting benefits related to reviews. While the review itself may not be paid for, a round trip airline ticket from the USA to Germany, plus two nights accommodation, on the Mercedes tab, is a significant benefit received by the reviewer. I don't doubt the reviewer's integrity but I just don't think journalists should accept significant benefits from the subject of their stories, and I don't think disclosing it cures the conflict. There are other sites with policies where they pay their own way for travel and accommodations. I am sure budgets are not unlimited but Ars' parent company is Conde Nast.

the purpose of disclosing perceived or potential conflicts of interests isn't to state "this article is free from any bias" but to let you, the reader, decide for yourself whether your opinion of someone elses opinion remains the same. i.e. feel free to take things with a pinch of salt if they sound unreasonable or over-the-top.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

Edit; nm, not worth bothering

 

[RhoSinePhi]

Why are they using my bath mats as a floor mat?

 

[ERIFNOMI]

Mercedes-Benz provided flights from DC to Stuttgart and back, plus two nights in a hotel so we could drive the Vision EQXX as well as the EQB (which you can read about on Monday). Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

I wish Ars would change this disclosure language or better yet, change their policy on accepting benefits related to reviews. While the review itself may not be paid for, a round trip airline ticket from the USA to Germany, plus two nights accommodation, on the Mercedes tab, is a significant benefit received by the reviewer. I don't doubt the reviewer's integrity but I just don't think journalists should accept significant benefits from the subject of their stories, and I don't think disclosing it cures the conflict. There are other sites with policies where they pay their own way for travel and accommodations. I am sure budgets are not unlimited but Ars' parent company is Conde Nast.

This is how all cars are reviewed by every major auto reviewer. Get over it.

 

[H2O Rip]

Bridgestone Turanza, That's the same type of tire I've got on my mazda 3, so it's practically the same...right?

Technically an interesting approach, I always wonder what it's like for folks working at car companies to just go bonkers on a prototype. Like... is it considered a 'fun team' in the company? Do other teams view them as playing around or fundamentally making the future? Given how many concepts seem to go by the wayside, it's hard to judge the value of learnings made from them.

I'm not really a fan of the design, though oddly the rear isn't the reason - the retrofuturism there is *shrug*. It's both that interior (and Rho's bathmats) feel out of place / clashing, and the way the bottom black trim rises slightly as you go towards the back of the car plus the front quarterpanel to door (air bypass I guess?) makes it look incredibly disjointed.

I will say the giant screen is.... actually decently done. Still fall into the 'less is more' philosophy in general and prefer the fold-up one like the Lucid, but that part looks miles better than the Tesla. Which brings us to buttons, it looks like they just tossed them all onto the wheel, which is odd but I guess reasonable. How did it feel when driving?

 

[brewejon]

Given the weight of these batteries it would be lovely to not have them in the car when not using them. Anyone got any idea if that'd be technically feasible?

For example imagine running a 200km range battery during the week when you're only doing city driving and charging at night, and then when you want to take a weekend away you drop in another 500km of range.