Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX showcased at the 2022 Safe Roads Summit
The Mercedes-Benz Safe Roads Summit returned back for its third edition, after a brief hiatus due to the global pandemic. The Safe Roads Summit is the German brand’s initiative to spread awareness amongst the masses regarding safety. The event was held in Bangalore where the brand announced that as a part of its ‘Vision Zero 2050’ plan, aims to reduce 50 per cent of the total road fatalities in the world by 2030 and fully by 2050. This goal is driven by Mercedes’ own Accident Research sector, which has expanded its worldwide research to cover countries like India for global analysation of accidents. Safety is nothing new to the German brand, in fact it is the pioneer of many safety systems in cars including the first ever Anti-lock Braking and Airbag fitted to production models of the S-Class over 40 years ago and that hasn't changed. The brand continues to push itself when it comes to innovation.
Prof. Dr. Paul Dick, Head of Vehicle Safety, Mercedes-Benz AG said, “Mercedes-Benz is the pioneer in vehicle safety. ‘SAFE ROADS’ is a commendable initiative that underlines all aspects of road safety comprehensively and will go a long way in making Indian roads safer. To reinforce our commitment to make roads safer, globally, we announced our commitment to the vision of accident-free driving by 2050. This is our holistic and data driven approach to protect all road users with both active and passive safety systems, and we are committed to making this a reality.”
The Vision EQXX showcased in Bangalore is one of its latest experimental prototypes. It is the most efficient vehicle the brand has ever made. It is jam-packed with innovations and advances that add to its exceptional range. It is capable of greatly exceeding 1000km of real-world electric driving The learnings that have gone into its development will contribute largely to accelerate the transition of ideas into mass production of high range EVs. It was built in large part by MBRDI engineers headquartered in Bangalore and Pune.
Manu Saale, Managing Director and CEO, MBRDI stated, “We launched ‘Safe Roads’ to create awareness about the significance of road safety, share best practices with future road users, with an aim to reduce India’s alarmingly high road accident fatality rate. Our journey of promoting road safety across the country, first, through road shows in eight cities and now with the SAFE ROADS India Summit, has been very fulfilling.”
It was fully developed in just 18 months. It deploys a single electric motor that’s mounted to the rear axle producing 204bhp, a 100kWh of usable battery and a drag coefficient of just 0.17. Making it even more streamlined than the EQS, which is the most aerodynamic production car in the world with a Cd factor of 0.20. Earlier this year the Vision EQXX was driven from Stuttgart to SIlverstone racetrack in the UK where it was also driven on the track, on just a single charge. That's a distance of over 1202km on a single charge, a new world record.
Mercedes also showcased the EQS Body in White, a cutout of its flagship electric vehicle to showcase its built-in safety features. The high tensile strength materials used in its construction. Impact zones, battery safety systems and even the various sensors that back features like LIDAR and autonomous braking. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz had an alcohol goggles display that replicated the "walk-the-line" activity while intoxicated, to show you the loss of balance and slow reaction times when an individual is drunk.
