CES 2022: Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX revealed

Mercedes-Benz has revealed an electric vehicle concept with the claimed capability of travelling more than 1000km between recharges at an ultra-frugal consumption rate below 10kWh/100km.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX was detailed via a streaming launch ahead of the CES tech extravaganza in Las Vegas, where it was originally due to be shown live until the German luxury marque withdrew because of COVID concerns.

The teardrop-shaped, Mercedes-Benz C-class-sized four-door is a technical extravaganza 18 months in the making and perhaps only a couple of years from production.

Authoritative European reports suggest a 2024 debut for a production model based on Benz’s new EV-specific MMA architecture.

Mercedes-Benz itself isn’t being that definitive, but it is making clear the new technologies contained in the EQXX – which influence every part of the car from its core ‘bionic’ chassis to vegan interior materials – are production-bound in some form.

Mercedes-Benz has made a huge commitment to an EV future, promising to invest €40 billion ($A62 billion) by 2030.

So far it’s been playing catch-up as EV evangelist Tesla leads the way.

As one of the technical leaders of the internal combustion age, the EQXX clearly represents Benz’s attempt to regain the ascendancy.

“The VISION EQXX is a statement,” declared Benz chief Ola Källenius.

“It’s the most efficient Mercedes ever and it’s a trailblazer which underlines where our entire company is headed.

“We will build the world’s most desirable electric cars. Cars like this one.”

So far Benz engineers have only calculated the EQXX’s staggering range and consumption. But Benz has promised the numbers will be proven in real-world testing within months.

That means comfortably travelling from Melbourne to Sydney without having to plug in, chewing electricity at a rate that Benz says would run a tumble dryer for three hours.

The best real-world EV range between recharges at the moment is claimed by the Lucid Air, which the US EPA certifies at 837km with a consumption rate around 18kWh/100km.

It’s undoubtedly the EQXX’s core e-drive powertrain that combines a new-generation lithium-ion battery pack and 150kW e-motor that commands the headlines because of that record-setting efficiency.

That includes an ability to send 95 per cent of produced electricity to the driven rear 20-inch wheels – it’s usually 75 per cent for an EV and 30 per cent for an ICE.

How quickly those rear wheels spin up to speed is a yet unclear. Perhaps surprisingly, Benz does not specify any performance figures such as acceleration or top speed for the EQXX.

Developed by Benz engineers in Stuttgart and Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 experts in the UK, with cells supplied by the giant Chinese CATL battery-maker, the pack produces just under 100kWh.

Yet, it is 50 per cent smaller than the 107.8kWh pack found in the new Mercedes-Benz EQS luxury electric saloon and 35 per cent lighter at 495kg.

Key tech details include “active cell balancing” that extends battery life, redesigned anodes using more silicon that hold higher levels of energy and a 900V-plus powertrain that allows faster charging – Benz doesn’t specify how fast – and lighter weight.

The Lucid Air is the first EV in production with 900V. Most rely on 800V or 400V.

The EQXX also comes with solar roof cells that can provide up to 25km of range.

The EQXX boasts an incredibly slippery 0.17Cd drag coefficient that betters any production car currently on sale. It’s achieved with the aid of active aerodynamics including grille shutters, wheel covers and a 50mm narrower rear track.

Even the Mercedes-Benz star is stencilled into the bonnet to smooth air flow.

A 1750kg kerb weight is good but not stellar. It is achieved using plenty of aluminium (including disc brakes), ultra-high-strength steel and fibreglass and carbon-fibre doors.

The future thinking in the EQXX extends into the cabin where a new generation of software is being showcased using prototype neuromorphic computing that is five to 10 times more efficient than orthodox voice control.

But the obvious highlight is a single glass instrument display and infotainment screen that stretches 47.5 inches across the dashboard from A-pillar to A-pillar. It uses game-engine-powered interfaces for the first time in a Benz, reproduced in 8K resolution. Even the sound system in the EQXX has come in for attention to reduce energy consumption. It uses less speakers closer to the passengers, with two in each head restraint and bass exciters in the seat.