A power consumption of 7.4 kWh per 100 km made this the most efficient long-distance drive of the Mercedes Vision EQXX yet
Mercedes has sent its electric concept vehicle, the sleek Vision EQXX, on another long-distance drive to test its efficiency. This time the test took place in the Arabian Peninsula and was used to prove that the EV can go the distance, even in the heat of the desert.
The Vision EQXX made the 1,010 km (627.6 mi) journey from the Mercedes-Benz Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to the Mercedes-Benz Brand Center in Dubai, UAE, in a total of 14 hours and 42 minutes. Despite temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius, the EV was more efficient than ever before, consuming just 7.4 kWh of energy per 100 km. That’s less than the 8.3 kWh/100 km he used during his longest drive ever, from Germany to England.
That meant the Vision EQXX’s 100 kWh battery still had a range of 190 miles (309 km) left by the time it reached its destination. If conditions had remained stable, the car could have covered a total of almost 1,319 km.
Read: Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX breaks its own record, traveling 747 miles on a single charge from Germany to Great Britain
That is good news for Mercedes engineers, because they were tasked with maximizing the efficiency of this drive. High temperatures, such as cold, can significantly affect the range of electric vehicles, which could be a problem for some consumers. To minimize the impact of the heat on the Vision EQXX, it used a heat pump to cool the cabin, which Mercedes says had virtually no negative impact on its range.
To further prevent the auxiliary equipment from sapping energy, the test vehicle is also equipped with 117 solar cells. During this journey they collected a total of 1.8 kWh of energy, increasing the range by 24 km. Mercedes says it is working to get this feature into its production cars.
The test also helped prove the usefulness of the company’s intelligent driving assistant. The system offers drivers suggestions on how to drive more efficiently, and it’s really smart. In this case, things like the crosswinds coming from the coast were taken into account to help drivers get the most out of the battery. When they stopped, it also helped them find the best parking spot to maximize solar charging based on the angle of the sun.
“The Vision EQXX continues to provide valuable data for the continued development of advanced electric efficiency technologies,” said Markus Schafer, Chief Technology Officer of Mercedes. “As expected, all systems performed perfectly in the desert conditions and handled challenges such as road surface finish, temperature and dust with ease. Further proof that electric propulsion is ready for the global market.”
