Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX, the most developed electric of all
This note deals, neither more nor less, than about the electric car with the greatest autonomy ever manufactured. We are talking about the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX, the same one that we learned about a few months ago, and that is capable of driving 1,000 kilometers on a single charge. That's not all, since its battery pack is 50% more compact and 30% lighter than that of the EQS, as reported by the German brand at the beginning of its development.
Beyond what has been mentioned, it must be said that the EQXX is much more than a vehicle with a battery never seen before. The developments that the German brand included in this model are so important that they will mark a before and after in the future of the automotive industry, managing to take sustainability and efficiency to their maximum level.
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX: Electric power without waste
Lets start by the beginning. If it's an electric car, we want to know what drives it. In this case we are talking about a system that combines the engine and the transmission, together with the entire management system, which was developed with a new generation of silicon carbide semiconductors, the same ones that the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE will carry.
The engine offers a power close to 150 kW, or about 200 hp, which, although it does not seem like much, is used a lot. In this section the Mercedes-AMG team comes into play, who collaborated with the Mercedes research and development department looking for the best designs, the most optimal materials, the best thermal management and the best lubricants, all thanks to a powerful system of simulation that quickly allowed them to find the most efficient for the vehicle.
The 900-volt battery was also developed by Mercedes-AMG. It is a package that offers a density of 400 Wh/l, which allows almost 100 kWh of power to be extracted from this unit. However, the key word is integration, because it is the best way to achieve total efficiency. From the point of realizing that the anodes needed more silicon or the ability to extract energy from different cells, balancing the use of the battery and to the construction of the OneBox (a closed box that separates the battery management devices), These are aspects that all the departments involved were working on together.
More details
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX: Intelligent Thermal Management
The EQXX features a system called "cooling on demand", featuring a plate, located on the floor of the car, that allows airflow to be generated towards the batteries, and that allows almost 20 extra kilometers to be added to the final range. When it gets hotter, the active cooling system is activated, located in the front of the vehicle, and it efficiently directs air from the areas with more pressure and expels the heat through two openings in the hood. An extra fan supports this task when the car is stopped.
Best of all, when the car is trying to cool down to the max, it barely adds 0.007 points to the drag coefficient. In addition, on-demand cooling has little to do with aerodynamics, and was developed to be as efficient as possible in terms of thermal performance, which involved a certain installation of the water pumps and cooling valves.
On the other hand, it also has a heat pump, which recovers all the heat left by the drive train and also the air from the environment itself. Consequently, the optimum operating temperature is quickly achieved and even heats the cabin in cold weather. As if all this were not enough, it also includes a dehumidifier, which uses the latent energy of the system for support.
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX: Unparalleled design and aerodynamics
On a road trip, an electric car uses almost 2/3 of its energy "cutting through the air," so the EQXX's 0.17 coefficient of drag is wildly radical. Only a penguin is more aerodynamic than this car. Also, every time you drop 0.01 points in aerodynamics, the car can gain 2.5% range.
The design of the EQXX also has elegant details that give it identity, such as:
On the other hand, a spoiler is deployed in case it is necessary to have more downforce, but whose main feature is that it is practically invisible, and also weighs nothing.
The wheels are also part of the search for efficiency, as they have 20" forged aluminum wheels, whose design is semi-transparent, and Bridgestone Turanza Eco tires, which offer very low friction resistance. As for the braking system, Hardly visible from the outside, it is made up of aluminum discs treated with a special compound, which keeps the weight low and durability at bay.
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX: Construction
Here are some details of the construction of the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX:
In addition, some parts of the EQXX used BIONEQXX casting technology, which is based on bionic engineering, and was used for the largest part of the entire car: an aluminum sheet that forms the rear part of the floor. of the EQXX body. The principle of this development, based on organic forms, is to use the material only in the necessary structural points, achieving a piece whose appearance is that of a network.
Thanks to the polygonal modeling and animation tools used in the video game and film industry, the board has a perfect and optimized design. The filling of the net was made with UBQ, a plastic substitute created by an Israeli start-up (UBQ Materials), and which was made from organic waste, various plastics, cardboard and even diapers. Said fiber is printed in 3D and assembled in the structure, achieving a weight reduction of up to 20%, plus excellent resistance, waterproofing and acoustic properties.
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX: Smart, minimalist and very ecological interior
The interior of the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX stands out for its huge 47.5" 8K digital screen, which runs across the entire dashboard. Its intelligent interface is very similar to that of the EQS (Zero Layer) but it also has some important advances:
Regarding the ecological plan, the car uses an interesting selection of biodegradable materials that look very luxurious.
Many of these advances will not be seen for several years, but there are others that will already be incorporated into the next generation of the Mercedes-Benz modular platform. For now, it will be one of the top attractions at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, which will take place this week.
1768