The first record-breaking trip from Stuttgart to Cassis on a single battery charge took place in April, for a 12-hour, two-minute road trip over 1,008 kilometers. The car’s average speed was set at 87.4 km/h. Once the finish line was crossed, he had 15% autonomy left, or about 140 kilometers.
The ultra-sleek, streamlined EQXX vehicle has raised the bar even higher, with a 1,202 kilometer road trip from Stuttgart to Silverstone in the UK. After negotiating a motorway closure, the VISION EQXX crossed the French border near Strasbourg, then traveled through northern France to Calais, where it boarded the Eurotunnel. Continuing her journey in the UK, she took the M25 around London and then stopped in Brackley, the headquarters of Mercedes F1. The VISION EQXX then drove to Silverstone, where it was greeted by Mercedes Formula E driver Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman completed 11 laps of the circuit, with peaks at 140 km / h, using the end of the charge on the pit lane. Throughout the road trip, the VISION EQXX achieved an average consumption of 8.3 kWh/100 km faced with heavy traffic and summer temperatures, Over the 14 hours and 30 minutes of driving, the air conditioning ran for just over eight hours, but had only a minimal negative impact on overall energy consumption .
“As Mercedes-Benz strives to go all-electric by 2030 wherever market conditions allow, it’s important to show the world what can be achieved in practical terms through a combination of cutting-edge technology, teamwork and determination »says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Management Board of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and responsible for development and supply.
This time, the route profile did not offer low temperatures or an energy recovery scenario confronting the Alps. The main challenges on this trip were summer temperatures of up to 30° combined with increased traffic density around Stuttgart and in the South East of England. These conditions forced the Vision EQXX to have to cool the electric powertrain, as well as the cabin with air conditioning. The Vision EQXX’s heat pump proved to be energy efficient for the conditions. The innovative airflow management is based among other things on a cooling plate installed in the floor of the vehicle, allowing it to take advantage of the air circulating along the low profile of the VISION EQXX. This is the most aerodynamically efficient way to keep the electric drive unit “cool” under normal conditions, allowing for a range increase of approximately 2% in the most aerodynamic mode.
to summarize
Mercedes continues the exploration of long range with the EQXX concept, which completed a journey of more than 1,200 kilometers between Stuttgart and the Silverstone circuit in the UK, this time with higher temperatures and without relief.
