Gradually, electric vehicles penetrate the market and some milestones such as the one Mercedes achieved with its prototype Mercedes Benz Vision EQXXthey are progress in one of the most desirable lines of pure electricity (as opposed to hybrids): greater autonomy, which allows long journeys without the need for multiple stops, from charger to charger to avoid surprises and distaste.

A few months ago, in the face of the design of the charging stations of the future, based on a competition held in Canada, I remembered the odyssey experienced by Sezar Blue, the creator of the content I have been following for some time, on the way from Madrid. to Galicia with its standard Tesla Model 3. And it wasn’t his only problem, because recently on his way to Andalusia, the helpful staff of the hotel where he was staying prevented him from having big problems after encountering a broken charger. He himself said this on his YouTube channel:

And for those who don’t know him, specify Sezar Blue is a supporter of electric mobility, that is, these videos are not the result of a negative attitude towards this mobility model (in fact, he first bought a hybrid and then jumped to Tesla Model 3). In other words, it is a sincere testimony of a person who deals with electric mobility, but does not hide its negative aspects and unfortunately has met it a few times.

We will have to wait a few more years before we have a network of charging stations that avoids these problems, but even when the time comes, we may need to continue planning stops based on the needs of the car, not ours. And yes, it’s not a terrible problem, I know, but it’s against the principle of comfort and flexibility that the car offers us compared to other means of transport. For this reason, prototypes like this from Mercedes seem like a big step forward.

And what is the success of Mercedes? Well, as we can read in The Driven, its prototype Mercedes Benz Vision EQXX was able to travel from Sindelfingen near Stuttgart in Germany to Cassis on the French Riviera, cover a journey of 1,008 kilometers without having to stop to recharge the battery. A milestone that will undoubtedly help other manufacturers to step on the gas in this regard and will significantly improve the autonomy of certain categories of electric cars.

And I say only certain categories, because to give an example, it would make no sense to equip a city car with the necessary batteries to have this autonomy. However, the ideal candidates for this increase in autonomy are sedans and sedans, more suitable for long distances, because they would really take advantage of it. It is no coincidence that Mercedes, a manufacturer clearly identified with this market segment, has reached this milestone. Not to mention other areas that Mercedes-Benz has been working on for years.

There is something very interesting about this test part took place in cold and rainy conditionsand remember that battery performance decreases with decreasing temperature. And in terms of speed, there was also quite a variety, from road works to highways with a fast lane of 140 kilometers per hour. The average speed was 87.4 kilometers per hourconsumption of this prototype Mercedes was 8.7 kilowatts per 100 kilometers and when you reach your destination, still maintained about 15% charge.

This milestone, as the brand suggests, does not only depend on battery capacity. Many other aspects from the aerodynamics of the vehicle to the type and level of tire inflationthey also affect consumption. And that’s more important than it may seem at first glance, so it’s something other manufacturers should watch Mercedes’ experiment carefully to learn valuable lessons.

I hope that my current car will last for many years, both out of love and economy. If I were forced to change today, and since I rarely carry it over less than 100 kilometers (apart from shopping, of course), I wouldn’t consider an electric, perhaps a hybrid, in any case in relation to the purchase price. However, if what Mercedes has shown us today is a sign of the future, It is possible that when I have to scrap my current car, I will change my mind.

What do you think? Are you considering an electric jump or have you already done it, or do you think it’s too early? And if your answer was no or not yet, is it the main reason for autonomy or are there other factors?

Pictures: Mercedes-Benz