Although Mercedes-Benz, which built the world's first car, did not take the lead again in the new era of electric vaporization, the tiger that was not threatening was never Hello Kitty, and when the king of the old city awakened, the market was destined to usher in a new baptism. Starting from EQC, to the subsequent EQA, EQB, EQV, EQS and EQE, etc., the layout rhythm of the Mercedes-Benz EQ family can be said to have dried up from 2018 to the present. So much so that when we have not yet fully remembered the positioning of the previous Mercedes-Benz EQ model, the next EQ family model has begun a new round of technological innovation.
At CES 2022 at the beginning of this year, Mercedes-Benz officially unveiled the VISION EQXX (hereinafter referred to as EQXX) concept car, in addition to the breathtaking styling design, EQXX was also crowned "Mercedes-Benz's most efficient model ever". 18 months to complete the finalization and research and development, 0.17 wind resistance coefficient, 100 degrees of air-cooled battery, 100 km energy consumption of less than 10kWh, cruising range of more than 1000km.
It seems that any one of the data can directly or indirectly prove that EQXX is an advanced electric vehicle, but for Chinese netizens who have seen enough PPT car routines, the beautiful numbers on these books have long been tempting, especially the ultra-1000km endurance, as long as the XXXX working conditions are added in front, then they can be ignored.
Fortunately, this time, Mercedes did not tell the story of the wolf again. Just last week, Mercedes-Benz officially announced the actual measurement results of EQXX under real road traffic, the test departed from Sindelfingen, Germany to Cassis, France, the total mileage of 1008 kilometers, lasted 11 hours and 32 minutes, the whole process includes highways, mountain roads, tunnels and other road conditions, through wind and rain, slippery, high and low temperature difference and other complex climates, the average speed of the whole process is 87.4km/h, high-speed cruising speed of 140km/h. And after reaching the destination, the vehicle energy consumption is displayed as 8.7kWh/100km, and the remaining mileage is as much as 140km, that is to say, according to the conventional 1.1 yuan one kilowatt hour electricity, each kilometer only needs 9 cents!
This means that the EQXX is not only the most powerful electric vehicle at present, but also its maximum real endurance of 1200km will also become a "nightmare" that countless electric vehicles cannot reach. While Mercedes-Benz single-handedly proved that pure electric vehicles can have more than 1,000km of real endurance, it also proved that it is still the brand at the top of the car food chain.
The reason why EQXX can achieve such exaggerated data is naturally inseparable from every "black technology" on its body. The silky body curve like a water droplet not only achieves the ultra-low wind resistance coefficient of 0.17 of the vehicle, but also creates a crash area of only 2.12 square meters, and when the speed reaches 60km/h, the active rear diffuser can automatically open to optimize the air flow and further reduce the drag coefficient. Although Mercedes-Benz does not like to use aerodynamics as an important element of self-promotion as Lotus, it is clear that EQXX's achievements in this regard are enough for Lotus to offer a sincere fist hug.
When Mercedes-Benz first announced that the energy consumption of EQXX's 100 kilometers is less than 10kWh, many people should not guess that its real energy consumption can be as low as 8.7kWh. If you don't know what it is to run 100 kilometers with only 8.7 kWh of electricity, then comparing the Mercedes-Benz EQC 100 km data with 20.1 kWh should clearly see how terrible the gap between them is. Thanks to the specially developed power unit from F1 and the fact that the engineers have successfully reduced the losses of the drivetrain by 44%, the EQXX's drive efficiency has reached an astonishing 95%, which is the biggest reason why the vehicle can achieve such low energy consumption.
Whether it is brush lap speed or brush endurance, extreme lightweight is their common direction. EQXX uses the aluminum integrated casting process in the rear window, rear baseplate, etc., and replaces many heavy parts of the traditional design with lightweight single structure castings, while the battery top cover also uses sustainable carbon fiber -sugarcane composite materials derived from the F1 racing process, and the overall weight reduction of 20% after EQXX's vehicle quality is only 1755kg, which is very friendly to energy saving and endurance.
In terms of the battery pack itself, the 100kWh energy storage is almost the same as the battery power of the new EQS, but the size of the battery pack of the EQXX is reduced by 50%, the length, width and height are only 2000mm/1260mm/110mm, while the weight is reduced by 30%, only 495kg, which is enough to fit into a compact vehicle in the later stage. This also means that Mercedes-Benz is actually preparing for the future of technology applications.
In addition, EQXX does not use semi-solid-state batteries, but uses a 400Wh/L high-density battery, according to Mercedes-Benz official disclosure, the battery pack uses CTP technology, so that the specific energy also reached a relatively high 202Wh/kg. At the same time, the vehicle is also equipped with a 900V high-voltage battery system, which is also the first application of this technology.
In addition to the conventional battery pack, the EQXX has 117 solar cells placed on the roof of the car, where the energy generated will act on the vehicle's 12V system, such as ancillary functions such as infotainment, navigation systems, power accessories and speakers. According to Mercedes-Benz officials, by reducing the load of the drive battery, the solar roof battery can add about 25km of cruising range to the vehicle in a 1000km trip.
Since the advent of electric vehicles, it has had an advantage that traditional fuel vehicles do not have, that is, its kinetic energy recovery. With this function, EQXX is able to recover energy from almost any type of slope and braking without the need for mechanical braking, thus opening up the possibility of replacing steel discs with lightweight aluminium discs in the future.
As an electric vehicle with a "futuristic" style, intelligent assembly will naturally not be absent. Its built-in smart energy-efficient assistant makes driving easier by providing the most efficient driving style recommendations based on information such as energy flow, power, terrain, and even the direction and intensity of wind and sun.
Finally, EQXX is not a furious performance monster. Even though it has a radical appearance comparable to a supercar, deep down, its personality is quite docile. No four-wheel drive, no jaw-dropping acceleration capability, it has, just an 180kW motor on the rear axle. To use an analogy, EQXX is the kind of big handsome guy who doesn't jump or drink but has 8-pack abs, which is contrasting and unbelievable.
According to the plan, EQXX will be in mass production in 2024. But I personally feel that instead of looking forward to the mass production and listing of EQXX, it is better to look forward to when Mercedes-Benz and other car companies can realize the real application of these top-notch and still conceptual technologies. Because you and I know, it is not difficult for Mercedes-Benz to get fans to praise "EQXX is really powerful", but it is difficult for those civilian consumers to really enjoy the advantages of EQXX. Hopefully, when we really wait for the day when the 1,000km real endurance comes, it won't be just a high-end party that the top rich can afford to play.