Mercedes’ latest all-electric concept car has a staggering 620-mile range on a single charge, but that may not even be the most unique thing about it: It’s also made up of mushrooms, cacti, and bamboo.
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The recently unveiled EQXX would have the longest range of any electric car on the market if its computer-simulated testing matches actual performance. It would go further than a Toyota Prius on a whole tank of gas, and even beat a Chevy Suburban with its huge 28-gallon diesel engine. That would be largely thanks to aerodynamic efficiency — its 0.17 drag coefficient makes the EQXX more aerodynamic than a football. Innovative materials like magnesium wheels and reinforced plastic suspension springs also make the car lighter, improving efficiency.
Other materials were chosen for their sustainable aspects, with empty spaces in the frame being filled with a material made from landfill waste. Materials made with mycelium, which comes from mushrooms, as well as ground cacti and bamboo are all used as interior finishes or in place of leather and other animal products.
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The EQXX is all part of Mercedes’ plans for half of its car sales to be electric by 2025, with a further goal of going all-electric by 2030. A car with the concept’s battery, electric motor, and materials technology should go into production by 2024, so it may only be a couple short years before you could be driving your own Mercedes mushroom-mobile around town.
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