Sherminator98 Posted August 26 Share Posted August 26 https://www.autoweek.com/news/a65890374/mercedes-amg-concept-gt-xx-distance-record-attempt/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick73 Posted August 26 Share Posted August 26 A truly exceptional BEV accomplishment — I’m impressed. That car averaged close to 140 MPH for a week and even faster for a day. No doubt 850 kW charging rate made it possible by keeping stops relatively short. Still, it’s clear combination of vehicle efficiency and fast charging yields tremendous results. Anyone who questions the importance of aerodynamics, especially with BEVs, should consider what this car achieved on battery power. I’d bet both the frontal area and coefficient of drag are quite low for a 4-door sedan; even if only a concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 who questions aerodynamics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick73 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 1 hour ago, rmc523 said: who questions aerodynamics? The anti-blob crowd. 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 1 hour ago, Rick73 said: The anti-blob crowd. 😀 Things can be made aerodynamic AND good looking at the same time. Mercedes made their products look like melted soap bars, and naturally the market has reacted poorly because they just don't look very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Aero is important for range but it’s not THE most important thing for most buyers. Given a choice of a striking design with 300 miles of range vs a less appealing design with 350 miles for the same price - most would go for better styling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick73 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 3 hours ago, rmc523 said: Things can be made aerodynamic AND good looking at the same time. Mercedes made their products look like melted soap bars, and naturally the market has reacted poorly because they just don't look very good. Agree Mercedes may have taken aerodynamic efficiency a bit too far for many buyers, but I give them credit for pushing limits and thereby improving the technology. All manufacturers are doing their part, but Mercedes does seem to be taking it a bit more seriously. It wasn’t that long ago that a Cd of 0.30 was considered exceptional for a sedan, and now we have a few real production cars with 0.20. More importantly there are a lot of new designs around 0.25 or lower. 👍 My point though wasn’t just about coefficient of drag, which is no doubt very important, but also the frontal area which combines with Cd to make drag area. Mercedes has worked on and developed various models that also have smaller frontal areas. Some of these cars are pushing overall efficiency of up to 5 miles per kWh, which means a significant drag reduction compared to large pickups and SUVs that often struggle to reach 2 miles per kWh. Efficiency eventually can lead to lower costs and competitive advantage by reducing battery size, reducing power requirements, reducing energy usage, etc. Not saying we should compare large SUVs directly to mid-size sedans, but part of the needed solution is to develop and offer more efficient vehicles that buyers will prefer to own. Obviously many Americans will always prefer their super-sized SUVs and pickups, but maybe some will downsize if new vehicles are more exciting to drive and own. It took a while but I think Ford is headed in that direction, though I expect somewhat cautiously. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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