Mercedes Benz's (OTC:DMLRY) Vision EQXX prototype electric vehicle (EV) traveled over 1,000 kilometers on a single charge, raising the bar for long-distance EV travel.
Mercedes’s concept electric vehicle drove from Sindelfingen in Germany through Switzerland and Italy to the French commune Cassis, completing a more than 1,000 kilometer (621 miles) ride and laying the groundwork for long-distance electric vehicle travel.
The car’s lightweight chassis and aerodynamic profile allowed the new Mercedes to complete the trip on a single charge, even though the car’s battery is half the size of Mercedes’s EQS flagship EV.
The new Vision EQXX “is the most efficient Mercedes ever built,” said Mercedes CEO Ola Kallenius.
“The technology program behind it marks a milestone in the development of electric vehicles,” he added.
The German carmaker wants to invest 60 billion euros ($65 billion) through 2026 to fight Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and become the best-selling luxury car manufacturer in the world once again after its rival BMW (MI:BMW) snatched that title.
Mercedes also plans to sell only electric cars where possible by the end of the decade and build 8 new battery assembly plants.
By Senad Karaahmetovic