There are no shortage of concept cars. Hearing about another car that’s yet to be seen on the road and will likely never see production in its current form might be a pretty difficult thing to get excited about. That being said, if even a fraction of the sleek aerodynamics and Formula One battery technology present in the latest concept car from Mercedes-Benz will feature in its next generation of production vehicles, then the Vision EQXX is absolutely one you should be talking about.
The Vision EQXX, in whatever incarnation it eventually takes, will be the most efficient Mercedes ever built. This is in large part due to the aerodynamics of its four-door body, which is complete with a long rear overhang, sloping roofline, a rear track that’s 50mm narrower than the front, and a frontal area said to be smaller than a smart micro car.
Combine that with the aero-optimised 20-inch forged magnesium wheels, low-resistance Bridgestone Turanza Eco tyres, ‘air curtains’ in the front bumper, a retractable rear diffuser, and dynamic cooling shutters that open or close, and you will start to get an idea of how efficient one of these things can be.
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In fact, if the Vision EQXX was a road-legal production car, it would be the most aerodynamically-efficient car ever built. With a drag coefficient of 0.173, that would mean the Vision EQXX surpasses the 0.19 of the Volkswagen XL1, as well as the 0.20 of the Mercedes-Benz EQS, Tesla Model S and Lucid Air electric limousines.
Mercedes has made the claim that the Vision EQXX is capable of covering 1000km on a single charge. Hypothetically (if the range Gods would allow), that would mean you’d have enough charge to travel from Sydney to Melbourne (or Sydney to Brisbane) without stopping, and up to 100km of range to spare.
This four-digit driving range of the Vision EQXX can be credited to its powertrain, led by an efficient electric drive unit on the rear axle developed by Mercedes-AMG’s Formula One engineers. What we are left with is a 150kW electric motor and a claimed efficiency figure of 95% – compared to the 30-40% of a petrol car.
The EQXX’s mechanicals also include a 900-volt electric architecture which can deliver ultra-fast charging. It also comes equipped with a heat pump for minimising the range lost in cold conditions, as well as a solar roof which can provide an additional 25km of range per day. How did automakers not think of the solar roof idea before?
In its efforts to create a vehicle shape that slips through the air with optimum efficiency, the EQXX doesn’t even look like a Mercedes anymore. The German carmaker has forgone its traditional styling cues of other vehicles, with the concept lacking the famous three-pointed star in the lower fascia.
While you will never get to drive the new Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX in its current form, you can expect that the highlights of this show car – which include its 150kW drive unit and 900-volt charging system – will be a staple of future four-door electric performance cars from Mercedes-Benz.
It would also be remiss of us not to address the elephant in the room here – Mercedes undoubtedly has the Porsche Taycan in its sights.
Let the best four-door performance EV win.
