Billed as Mercedes-Benz’s most efficient vehicle ever, the Vision EQXX concept is no mere show car. The experimental electric vehicle is meant to evaluate future technology, with an innovative 100-kilowatt-hour air-cooled battery, streamlined aerodynamics, and efficiency-enhancing cabin electronics. Supposedly, it all adds up to a range of more than 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), with overall energy consumption of 10 kWh/100 km (6.2 miles/kWh).
But theoretical specs are only as good as the paper they’re written on. As such, Mercedes-Benz decided to put its idea to the test via Mission EQXX: a 626-mile trip on public roads from the company’s Electric Software Hub (ESH) in Sindelfingen, Germany, to the coastal town of Cassis, France. The journey would comprise significant elevation changes, winding two-lane roads, and several miles of derestricted Autobahn driving. What’s more, the route would be open to the public, subjecting the Vision EQXX to construction zones, traffic jams, and slack-jawed onlookers swerving in for a closer look and a photo.
