LAS VEGAS, Jan 7 — At CES 2022, Mercedes caused a sensation with its new electric concept car, the Vision EQXX, in particular thanks to its 1,000-kilometer range. This is now the new symbolic threshold that manufacturers are trying to reach at all costs, as they try to convince the public at large to switch to all-electric vehicles.

For Mercedes, the Vision EQXX is the most efficient electric prototype ever built, with an energy consumption of less than 10 kWh per 100 kilometers. This gives it a theoretical range of more than 1,000 kilometers per charge. Compared to what’s currently available on the market, few electric vehicles can drive more than 400 kilometers on a single charge.

It will be many years before a production car offers a range of 1,000 kilometers. But the solution may lie in hydrogen. Recently, Toyota managed to cover 1,003 kilometers with its Mirai on one tank of hydrogen fuel, a new world record in this field. In a few years, this level of performance could very well become the norm for this kind of vehicle, at least for certain premium models. — ETX Studio