Electric vehicle: Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX efficiency study achieves 8.3 kWh/100 km

By studying the efficiency of the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX, Mercedes wants to gain experience about the long range that can be achieved even with moderate battery sizes. The test car traveled more than 1,200 km from Stuttgart to Silverstone in Great Britain on a single battery charge and consumed 8.3 kW / 100 km. Thus, the car reduced consumption as of April, when it was driven with a driver a little more than 1,000 km from Stuttgart through the Alps to Cassis in southern France and ended up with 8.7 kWh / 100 km. The average speed was noticeably high 83 km / h.

The different consumptions can be explained – unsurprisingly – by the different conditions on the two flights. It was still spring cold, the battery and cabin had to be heated, and the road led to steep lanes. In June, on the other hand, the Vision EQXX had to contend with temperatures as high as 30 degrees in daily traffic on European main roads, including bypasses, traffic jams and several laps at the Silverstone race track, and the battery and interior had to be lightened. Mercedes wrote that in the 14 hours and 30 minutes’ drive, the air conditioner was running for just over eight hours. Our experience matches ours: in the winter months, consumption rises – also and especially with electric cars.

Extreme aerodynamics

At first glance, it is clear that the aerodynamics of the test vehicle are so exhausted that most customers do not expect such an extreme development. However, what also plays a major role is weight. With a weight of 1755 kg, the car weighs no more than an ordinary car with a combustion engine, which is especially surprising in comparison with the Mercedes-Benz EQS, which has a capacity of just under 100 kWh and weighs more than 2.5 tons with 108 kWh. the battery. However, the improvement enabled not only economical equipment, but also a significantly simplified power storage unit.

significantly thinner

Also, for the first time, Mercedes mentioned how the thermal management went, and its coolest achievement was the aerodynamic radiator. As heat is dissipated through a smooth plate, the energy that would otherwise cost the turbulence of the driving winds in the tube cooler is lost. Mercedes writes: “In the most aerodynamic mode, the car gains a range of about 2%.”

As always, the EQXX’s electric overall gains are made up of the sum of individual improvements. The difference in the combustion engine is the level of efficiency: 8.3 kW / 100 km correspond to about one liter of gasoline over the same distance.

(fpi)