On January 4, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the new concept VISION EQXX, an electric vehicle with outstanding performance that showcases the company's new design concepts, development processes, engineering, innovative eco-friendly materials, advanced software systems and more for the future mobility era. The concept car's drag coefficient of as low as 0.17Cd and energy consumption of less than 10kWh per 100 kilometers have raised the efficiency of electric vehicles to a new height.
So, how did all this happen? Recently, EV Century and other media interviewed Ms. Jasmin Eichler, head of the future technology research department of Mercedes-Benz AG.
Ms. Jasmin Eichler, Head of Future Technology Research at Mercedes-Benz AG
In the interview, Yasmin Eichler told me that the 1000 km range of vision EQXX is a very conservative data given through digital data comparison field tests, which means that the 1000 km range is more conservative than the WLTP service mileage, and if the WLTP condition is measured, the actual mileage is even higher.
Jasmin eichler says that the most important thing to achieve excellent endurance is aerodynamics, whether for the VISION EQXX or for all other cars. By optimizing the aerodynamic performance, the wind resistance coefficient of the VISION EQXX concept was reduced to 0.17Cd, which is a very remarkable achievement.
In second place for its contribution to endurance and energy efficiency is the efficient electric drive system. For the concept car's electric drive system, the Mercedes-Benz R&D team has optimized every detail, down to the cell level. The efficiency of its electric drivetrain is up to 95%, which means that only 5% of the battery energy is lost during the transfer of battery energy from the battery pack to the wheels.
Mercedes-AMG High Performance PowerTrain Co., Ltd. has developed a new battery system (the battery cell is provided by CATL) specifically for this concept car, through the development ideas and professional mechanical design of formula 1 racing cars, through advanced anode chemistry and highly integrated battery pack, its battery system volume energy density is close to 400Wh/L, the battery volume is only 50% of the new EQS, and the weight is reduced by 30%. As a result, this compact electric sedan is capable of accommodating a battery pack with an available energy of nearly 100 kWh.
Solar panels draped over the roof of the VISION EQXX power the vehicle's low-voltage electronics, saving the vehicle up to 25 km of range. Through the solar energy system, the function of originally requiring a high-voltage battery for variable voltage power supply is realized, and the energy consumption of the high-voltage system is also reduced.
Finally, there is the lightweight body design. In this process, the R&D team used advanced digital technologies, such as biomimic principles, as well as highly optimized aluminium castings.
The MS1500 ultra-high strength martensitic steel used in vision EQXX is the first application in Mercedes-Benz body-in-white. The ultra-high strength of this steel minimizes weight while providing excellent protection for occupants in the event of a collision. The innovative plastic leaf springs developed in collaboration with a start-up at the University of Darmstadt and Rheinmetall also offer further weight savings compared to conventional coil springs. Lightweight brake discs made of aluminium alloy further reduce the under-spring mass compared to carbon fiber discs.
In addition to hardware, software also plays a crucial role in improving energy efficiency. The all-in-one large-screen UI/UX can give the driver a variety of information prompts, such as giving environmentally friendly and efficient driving style suggestions according to the actual situation of wind speed, sun direction, uphill or downhill, etc.
At the same time, the combination of software and hardware can also help vehicles reduce energy consumption, for example, neuromorphic computing that can simulate the computational logic of human brain neurons is the application of a combination of software and hardware, which makes the vehicle run more efficiently through intelligent calculations.
Yasmin Eichler said that the human brain itself is a very powerful "computer" that does not consume energy at operation, and neuromorphic computing can imitate the logic of the human brain, and can imitate some important sensory functions of humans, such as vision. Mercedes-Benz has applied this technology to speech commands and speech recognition, and can achieve a very accurate understanding of language.
"This is a very exciting breakthrough because we didn't know exactly what neuromorphic computing has," says Yasmin Eichler, "and in the future we can imagine that neuromorphic computing may be able to support more other functions, such as visual sensing for the interpretation of signals inside and out of the car." ”
How to balance the beauty and practicality of the all-in-one large screen?
In addition to the super energy efficiency, the 47.5-inch ultra-thin all-in-one screen in the VISION EQXX cockpit is also impressive, which is the first time that a large-size integrated screen has been used on the Mercedes-Benz brand. The large screen features a fully optimized user interface, introduces a game engine, and is compatible with a 3D real-time navigation system. In the 3D city view, satellite footage can be magnified to a height of 10 meters, outlining a new world of digital luxury.
As the core element of VISION EQXX's luxurious interior, this large screen must not only create the luxurious atmosphere of the cockpit, but also provide an excellent human-computer interaction experience, that is, to be both beautiful and practical.
Jasmine Eichler said that this screen is composed of 3,000 LEDs, and its mini LED technology can independently control the switch of each LED (the backlight of the traditional LED screen cannot be controlled independently, either fully bright or completely dark). When no information is needed, the screen will dim some areas, saving energy and reducing disturbance to the occupants of the car. As a result, it has excellent visual effects without overloading information, making the car machine system a clever helper.
This screen also uses a lot of artificial intelligence technology. For example, the integrated screen and the sound system in the seat are integrated. While driving, the sound system in the seat will combine driving speed, energy efficiency, and current driving style to advise the driver to control the speed of the car and issue warnings if necessary. Of course, these messages and tips only appear when necessary.
For the AR/VR technology that some car companies plan to introduce in the cockpit, Jasmine Eichler said that she believes that AR/VR can play a role in creating the atmosphere experience and human-vehicle interaction system in the future. But driving must use technology that is completely reliable and safely verified, so at least at this stage we cannot rely on AR/VR technology 100%.
Innovative and sustainable mass production applications of materials are something to look forward to
Another distinguishing feature of the VISION EQXX Concept is the use of a large number of innovative sustainable materials that cover a wide range of areas, such as new plastic materials, sustainable plastic alternatives and leather alternatives. For example, some of the leather used in the VISION EQXX concept car is extracted from cactus fiber and mushroom material. In addition, the development of battery insulation materials is based on sugarcane waste, and its insulation performance is as good as the insulation materials used in previous batteries.
However, Jasmine Eichler admits that these innovative sustainable materials are still in the early stages of research and development, and there is still a long way to go before they are put into mass production. But she said she hopes that at some point in the future, these materials will be put into use on a large scale and loved by users, and they will also be more competitive in terms of cost.