With the continuous advancement of new energy vehicles, major automobile brands have successively launched their pure electric vehicle models. In the new battlefield of automobile electrification, the old joint ventures and luxury brands that have always occupied a large advantage are somewhat unsatisfactory. Especially in the domestic market, whether it is product strength or sales performance, the former is difficult to pose a threat to independent brands and even new car manufacturers.
However, the competition in the automotive market has never only focused on the immediate future, with the official launch of a new round of layout, the real strength of established joint ventures and luxury brands in the field of electrification has gradually emerged.
At the recently opened CES 2022, Mercedes-Benz officially released its new pure electric concept car VISION EQXX, as mercedes-Benz's most energy-efficient model ever, vision EQXX can be said to be the most subversive model since Mercedes-Benz entered the era of electrification.
On the low wind resistance, it may be mass production
As we all know, the high efficiency pursued in the era of fuel vehicles is nothing more than what people often say fuel economy, in order to enhance the power while further reducing fuel consumption, the internal combustion engine has developed to a very mature stage in the past century, and 40% of the engine thermal efficiency is not surprising. However, in the era of electrification, electric motors have gradually replaced internal combustion engines, and car companies have set their sights on improving efficiency on power consumption. More critically, thanks to the more flexible chassis layout of electric vehicles, the appearance of the vehicle has unlimited possibilities, and ultra-low wind resistance has become the ultimate pursuit of high efficiency.
So in the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX, we see the ultra-low drag coefficient of Cd 0.17 (the current minimum wind resistance mass production car is The Mercedes-Benz EQS of Cd 0.2), as well as the extreme power consumption of 10kWh/100km, and the mileage of a single charge exceeds 1000km, which is the ultimate killer of mileage anxiety.
From the styling point of view, the VISION EQXX can easily remind us of the IAA aerodynamic concept car released by Mercedes-Benz in 2015, especially the long tail streamline design is the same, close to the shape of the water droplet, which can speed up the air flow rate at the tail, thereby eliminating the vacuum area and reducing turbulence.
However, this design appeared on Volkswagen's Formula XL1 concept car as early as 10 years ago, and this car also achieved mass production in the next 2 years, creating a wind resistance coefficient of 0.189, equipped with a diesel hybrid system, and consuming only 1 liter of fuel per 100 kilometers, which was of great revolutionary significance at that time. I have to say that the tail design of EQXX and XL1 looks quite similar today.
Of course, EQXX does not blindly pursue ultra-low wind resistance, its tail is equipped with an active spoiler and diffuser, providing enough downforce for the vehicle to ensure the stability of the vehicle when driving at high speed; the front bar position is also set up with an active air intake grille, which can dissipate heat for the electronic control system; the solar panel on the roof can also make up for a certain amount of power consumption, it is reported that the ideal state can increase the amount of 25km endurance in a single day; the unique low roll resistance optimization wheel is also conducive to reducing the wind resistance coefficient and improving efficiency.
It is worth noting that for such a concept car that pursues the ultimate low wind resistance, but equipped with traditional rearview mirrors and semi-hidden door handles, it is not difficult to guess that this Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX concept car should already be relatively close to the mass production state, with the further optimization of the mass production car, I believe that its large probability will be the highest low wind resistance in the mass production car.
With a lot of revolutionary black technology
The efficiency of vision EQXX is not only achieved by the ultra-low drag coefficient of Cd 0.17, but also by multiple revolutionary technologies.
The first is the BIOQXX bionic structure frame, the mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX tail frame is not a traditional metal welded structure, but a cutout structure similar to the vein. It is reported that this structure is inspired by the world's largest butterfly, the monarch butterfly, and although the wings are thin and light, they can support flight.
Just as nature is the most intelligent structural engineer, BIONEQXX is based on this bionic design, through the data algorithm calculation, with the least material to achieve the strongest rigidity, and the use of 3D printing sand mold technology for integrated manufacturing, to achieve the best balance between lightweight and safety. It is reported that THE BIOQXX parts are 15%-20% lighter than the parts produced in the traditional way.
Of course, based on the extreme wind resistance and lightweight, the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX ultra-1000km endurance has also become its biggest highlight. However, the core technology to achieve ultra-high endurance is actually more in the battery.
On the one hand, CTP technology is adopted, which can improve the arrangement of batteries by reducing parts and space optimization without increasing the size of the battery pack, thereby increasing the energy density of the battery pack.
On the other hand, the addition of silicon anode technology, the incorporation of silicon ions in the negative electrode material makes the energy density of the monomer battery cell greatly increased, but how to solve the problem of silicon anode expansion and cracking, Mercedes-Benz did not disclose too much.
At present, the AION LX PLUS, which is the first to achieve mass production of silicon anode batteries, also claims to have a range of 1008km, but from the perspective of vehicle quality, Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX is only 1750Kg, while AION LX PLUS is not expected to be less than 2180kg, equivalent to the weight of 8 adults.
Not only that, based on Mercedes-AMG's strong lightweight design and high-performance power technology endorsement, the battery cover of the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX is made of the same carbon fiber composite material of F1 racing cars, and the energy transfer efficiency has reached 95% through the redesign of the drivetrain.
In addition, the vision EQXX is equipped with a multi-source heat pump air conditioning system that is also full of black technology, which can draw heat from the surrounding environment and drive system. The system also incorporates "enthalpy evaporation" technology, which saves energy consumption by turning water vapor into a liquid state in the car, humidifying the car, and releasing heat, which is used for heating in the cabin.
Speaking of which, the most important reason why the current luxury brand pure electric vehicle models are difficult to make a big splash is that consumers can't see high-end technology that matches the high-end price of luxury brands. After all, in the era of fuel vehicles, the luxury models represented by the V12 and V8 have long become the supreme faith, and even the relatively common 2.0T, Mercedes-Benz can also surpass the market with the M139 engine.
However, in the era of electrification, we will find that the publicity focus of luxury brands is only such as high-grade calf leather, top-of-the-line sound system, high-definition smooth large screen and other innocuous highlights.
But on the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX, we finally saw what a luxury electric car should look like. Not only does it have this subversive traditional styling design, which brings the ultimate low wind resistance; but also the revolutionary innovative technology has opened up a new era of pure electric vehicle industrial manufacturing; and more importantly, the industry-leading sustainability concept, which can be said to be the key to Mercedes-Benz as the inventor of the car, Mercedes-Benz once again leading the future travel, and this is also vividly demonstrated in the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX.