Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX: the new benchmark of efficiency.

Driven by the idea of zero impact on our planet and a highly responsible use of green energy, Mercedes-Benz inspired their engineers to go above and beyond. They are working intensively to take range and efficiency to a whole new level.

By ripping up the automotive engineering rule book, Mercedes-Benz has built a software-driven electric car that re-imagines the road trip for the electric era. At the same time, it presents a highly progressive interpretation of the fundamental Mercedes-Benz principles of modern luxury and sensual purity. Rather than simply increasing the size of the battery, the cross-functional, international team focused on maximizing long-distance efficiency. They pulled out all the stops in drivetrain efficiency, energy density, aerodynamics and lightweight design. This research prototype vehicle also has solar panels on the roof powering several functions – and delivering extra range.

The Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX is how Mercedes-Benz imagines the future of electric cars. With more than 1.000 km* of real-world electric range on a single charge and an outstanding average energy consumption of 8.7 kWh/100 km, the VISION EQXX is a blueprint for the future of efficiency.

*Range figures based on a road trip in real-life traffic conditions at regular road speeds from Sindelfingen across the Swiss Alps and Northern Italy, to its destination of Cassis on the Côte d'Azur.

The VISION EQXX makes extensive use of recycled waste materials. Obviously, Mercedes-Benz is transferring the first sustainable materials from the research vehicle into series production. The VISION EQXX offers a roadmap for tangible luxury through sustainable materials. Others include animal-free leather alternatives derived from cactus and the root-like structure of mushrooms. The VISION EQXX also offers tangible luxury through sustainability that is not part of the customer interface, with recycled and low-CO2 materials in structural components as well as a bionic-engineering approach that minimises weight and conserves resources.

The basic principle is maximum comfort and style with minimum weight – and no animal-derived products. The interior features innovative materials sourced from start-ups offering new avenues of creativity. For example, door pulls are made from a biodegradable vegan silk and carpets made from bamboo.

The door pulls mark the first use in the automotive sector of biotechnology based on material invented by AMSilk. This high-strength, bio-based and certified-vegan silk-like fabric comes from the inventor of biofabricated (nature-identical) fibre.

Another sustainable material gracing the interior of the VISION EQXX is MyloTM, a verified vegan leather alternative made from mycelium, which is the underground rootlike structure of mushrooms. It is certified bio-based, which means it is made predominantly from renewable ingredients found in nature. This completely new material category created by the power of biotechnology is designed to be less harmful to the environment and is used for details of the seat cushions in the VISION EQXX.

The animal-free leather alternative called Deserttex® is a sustainable cactus-based biomaterial made from pulverised cactus fibres combined with a sustainable bio-based polyurethane matrix. In this combination, the leather alternative has an exceptionally supple finish that is extremely soft to the touch. Forthcoming versions have a higher cactus content, giving this material the potential to halve the ecological footprint associated with conventional artificial leathers.