Preview aboard the Mercedes EQXX, the car of tomorrow
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vegas – It was supposed to be a test drive, but in reality we often stand in line. The relentless traffic of Las Vegas, multiplied by the days of CES 2023, does not seem to care about the fact that the driver and I are on board a car that is unique in the world: an electric vehicle prototype that embodies all the most advanced solutions technologies that Mercedes Benz is capable of today. Not bad: there’s more time to look around, study every detail.
I sit on the passenger side in the EQXX, the car with range records which in 2021 traveled 1203 km on a single charge; the EV that anticipates the future of Mercedes without being part of it, given that it will never become a production model: «The EQXX is a technology Car – Magnus Östberg, Chief Software Officer of Mercedes-Benz AG explains to us – in other words a car that allows us to experiment with the technologies needed to make energy consumption by the engine and on-board electronics, aerodynamics or even the user interface more efficient. All these things – continues Östberg – can be transferred to our EQ fleet, distributed where they are needed most, without all together becoming a specific car».
One of the most remarkable things about the splendid Mercedes concept car is that none of the technology with which we glide gently along Paradise Road existed at the time the project started. Everything has been developed ad hoc, from the cockpit that communicates with the user through an 8K and 47.5-inch touch screen (extended from one pillar to the other), to the 95% efficient propulsion, from the 920 volt recharging system to the 100 kWh battery, as powerful as an EQS, but half the size and 30% less heavy. The EQXX was developed from ground up to the road in a record time of 18 months. Sitting on the passenger side, immersed in the futuristic in-car experience, while interacting with the gorgeous interface, it just seems impossible.
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In short, a test of technological strength, but also above all the experimentation of a different electrification path: «We built this car to demonstrate the importance of creating an energy-efficient architecture, where the battery is no longer large but is exploited better, and where the intelligent system can switch off tools and functions that are not needed, for example if it has to save energy to get to its destination». Which explains choices such as the adoption of a Miniled screen with over three thousand zones for local dimming, where technology allows unused parts to be switched off to reduce consumption.
In short, every detail of the EQXX, together with the multitude of services and prototypes now being presented in Las Vegas by hundreds of automotive companies, tell how the automobile is changing today. How its evolution has accelerated into a technological platform, into a “software defined vehicle” connected to the cloud, through which it is possible to offer the user ever new services, to be built in-house or in collaboration with new partners; but which also and above all allows you to establish a new relationship with the customer, a much more direct and profitable “dialogue” for both.
“When you have direct communication with the user you can get immediate feedback – continues Magnus Östberg – We have 12 million connected Mercedes vehicles, and this allows us to know what they use, how they use it, what works and what doesn’t. And if you need to send updates ». At CES Mercedes announced that it will build a network of 10,000 high-power rechargers between North America, Japan and Europe, presented the new automatic lane change function (called ALC and part of Level 2 assisted driving) and promised that soon we will see Level 3 autonomous driving in California and Nevada.
Perhaps even more interesting, the house of the star has announced two collaborations: one with Apple Music, which will make its cars the first non-Apple system to natively offer spatial audio with Dolby Atmos by Apple Music, and one with the ZYNC digital entertainment.
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The car as a service platform, it was said, where to progressively offer new services. But if the number of players participating in building the on-board experience increases, how will the role of the car manufacturer change? «To use analogies, our cars are the building, our home, and we are the architects – explains Östberg – while the MBUX interface is the ship that connects to the cloud. In our house, we are in control of everything and we are the ones who invite guests, i.e. partners. And then there are things that only we take care of – he concludes – like our human-machine interface, because we believe that it is essential to give a true Mercedes experience ”.
So one wonders if in the future Mercedes will be a hardware company or a software company? “A system company!”, replies Östberg, without hesitation.
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