Mercedes-Benz presented this Monday (3) a prototype electric car that the automaker claims is capable of traveling a thousand kilometers on a battery charge.
The model, Vision EQXX, will have an energy consumption of less than 10 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per 100 kilometers, according to the automaker. The Tesla Model S 60 currently consumes 18.1 kWh over the same distance.
Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, will test the prototype before mid-year on various types of terrain, vice president for technology Markus Schaefer told reporters.
Some prototype components will be incorporated into Mercedes-Benz vehicles in two to three years, Schaefer said. However, the executive did not specify when the Vision EQXX’s 1000-kilometer range battery could be made available to the market.
“We will probably be the first to introduce a car with a range of a thousand kilometers in practice, with such a small battery,” said Schaefer.
When the model will go on sale is a “market decision” to be determined once the automaker establishes how much autonomy consumers want from their vehicles and how much they are willing to pay for it, the executive said.
The prototype, created in 18 months, “puts an end to autonomy anxiety,” said Mercedes-Benz, referring to one of the main obstacles to faster adoption of electric vehicles.
The prototype required the development of a new battery pack, which Mercedes-Benz said was a size compatible with a compact vehicle and whose energy density is close to the 400 watt-hours per liter mark.
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