Nico Rosberg Is Amazed By Mercedes EQXX, Not Allowed To Drive It

The EQXX experimental EV is so precious that not even a former Mercedes F1 champion can get behind the wheel.

10:31

Dan Mihalascu

By: Dan Mihalascu

May 31, 2022 at 4:42am ET

Comment

The Mercedes-Benz EQXX Concept is a window into the future of the brand's electric vehicles, which appears to be very promising judging by what this highly aerodynamic EV has accomplished so far.

In mid-April, the EQXX proved its mettle by covering a staggering 626 miles (1,008 kilometers) on a full battery charge, driving from Sindelfingen, Germany, to Cassis, France.

Mind you, that wasn't a hypermiling exercise, as the electric sedan traveled at regular road speeds, covering the distance in 11 hours and 32 minutes at an average speed of 87.4 km/h (54 mph). The route included prolonged fast-lane cruising at up to 87 mph (140 km/h) on the German autobahn and near the speed limit elsewhere.

Remarkably, the EQXX averaged 8.7 kWh/100km (7.14 miles/kWh) during the trip, proving its exceptional efficiency. To find out how that was made possible, former Formula One champion Nico Rosberg got to spend some time with the concept vehicle the automaker calls "the most efficient Mercedes-Benz ever built."

Rosberg's video starts with a presentation of the EQXX's design, with the former F1 star turned YouTube influencer doing a great job explaining the vehicle's aerodynamic performance. Aerodynamics is of course key to the EQXX's efficiency, with the vehicle boasting a coefficient of drag of only 0.17. That's a significant improvement over the Mercedes-Benz EQS, which is the world's most aerodynamic production car at the moment with a Cd of 0.20.

Nico then talks about the weight-saving solutions adopted on the EQXX, chief of which is the ultra-dense battery with a usable capacity of almost 100 kWh. This compact pack weighs just 1,091 pounds (495 kg), or 1,075 pounds per 100 kWh. In order to keep the weight in check, Mercedes-Benz even went as far as applying a single layer of paint to the EQXX.

Tell us what you think!

View

Comments

Speaking of attention to detail, the interior of the experimental electric vehicle is all about sustainable materials, with the automaker using unusual ingredients such as lab-grown mushrooms, bamboo fiber, artificial leather made from cactus fibers, and so on.

After completing the presentation, Rosberg was anxious to get behind the wheel of the EQXX, but he was in for a surprise: Mercedes-Benz did not let him. Instead, he rode shotgun as the car was driven on the scenic roads above Monaco by Boris, a Mercedes-Benz road test engineer. Nico learned a lot of interesting stuff about the car from him, including details about the powertrain, battery, suspension with fiberglass rear springs, and 8K resolution mini LED display, which are all brand-new developments.