Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off an efficient electric sedan that the auto giant calls capable of traveling 620 miles per charge.
Why it matters: That's beyond anything on the road today, even Lucid Motor's 520-mile range luxury Air sedan that began reaching customers a few months ago.
- And as CNN notes, that's also further than a Toyota Prius hybrid can travel on a full tank of gasoline.
- Mercedes revealed the Vision EQXX in a virtual presentation for the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
Yes, but: It's a concept, not a product. Mercedes calls it a "technology blueprint for series production." (Car and Driver calls it "production-viable, although not production-intended.")
The intrigue: Mercedes says the range is achieved not through brute force, but via efficiency gains that make the battery more energy-dense.
- The battery takes up 50% less space and weighs 30% less than batteries with "comparable capacity," they claim.
- It uses less than 10 kilowatt-hours per 62 miles of travel, Mercedes said, though it's citing digital simulations.
The big picture: It's part of Mercedes' wider push into EVs, with plans to invest over $45 billion through 2030.
- Motor Trend frames the Vision EQXX concept as a legacy automaker fighting the EV startups, noting "the establishment strikes back."