Something surreal about seeing a car with German plates, German emissions sticker, and a Swiss highway toll sticker in front of the New York skyline. Pretty cool!
The whole 'gamification of efficiency' absolutely works. When people see numbers that tell them they're doing well, they like that and try to improve them. Especially if it gives a tangible advantage, like extra range, and a lower cost.
My 2013 civic has 3 colors sort of depicting the fuel efficiency, ranging from green to dark blue. I love trying to keep it at green all the time. I would very much like efficiency features on cars
@@enigmabey G1 2000 Honda Insight has charge bar indicator and mpg indicator as a bar... it makes driving *very* gamified. If you don't pay any attention at all you'll be around 60-65mpg... but if you do you can get up around 70-75 under the right conditions or more.
^ This. People hate to admit it, but gamification is a massive part of many growing industries. I work for a company that is trying to promote green future, and one of the best features in terms of user engagement we see is gamification. Do this get X as a reward. People love that.
@@KissofDeath63 Prius has a battery to work with the engine to produce more power while efficiency on fuel at the same time so technically it's a electric vehicle just not a FULL ELECTRIC vehicles. The Prius Prime even has a bigger battery so you can run entirely on electric at over 25 miles so what are you trying to argue here bud?
Beautiful concept. Hope they're able to bring some of that to the road someday. As for Aptera, it has a 0.13 drag coefficient and will provide up to 40 miles of driving range on solar alone (full solar package) on a sunny day. So, if you live somewhere sunny, like Florida, and you commute/drive less than 40 miles per day, you could effectively almost never have to charge the car. Of course, for longer trips it's a different story, but it's only when you get drag coefficients this low that solar is able to really contribute anything. And I think it's great that they're using solar on cars like these. It makes sense. Why not use the free energy on a platform like this where it'll actually matter?
Completely agree Aptera has a much better drag coefficient. Hopefully @mkbhd will make a future video on @apteramotors "the most efficient production vehicle" on @autofocus
True, but it is necessary The one on the back is basically negligible, and that's what's required most places The one in the front would create a lot of vortexes and probably would make a difference of 1-5 miles per charge (rough estimate, you would need to do a proper simulation)
@@ab3040 spoken like a true american... "Most places". That mercedes comes from germany and like in most places on earth, in germany you need a licence plate on the front. Don't talk about some states in the us like they're the world.
You can buy Ioniq 6 or EV6 with similar aerodynamics and look. Granted Hyundai and Kia are not Mercedes but, at least more people can afford the Hyundai and Kia models.
@@ScubaSteveCanada I think this Mercedes tec will eventually trickle down to a and c class vehicles too. They are in this transition period where eqs and eqe look exactly the same but use aerodynamics a lot.
@@JohnAndJaneDoe65 some technical info wasn't said in this video...f.e. its battery pack is completely surrounded by a full carbon fiber housing, engineered and manufactured by Mercedes Formula 1 division. There battery cells are far more dense than the ones on the EQS, hence why they could fit 100kwh in such a "small" car. Let alone the carbon fiber chassis you'd find in something like a Lambo. This car would be far more expensive than a EQS if they mass produced it. In fact they wouldn't be able to mass produce it, only sell it like a sports car in limited numbers per year.
As an aviator it was interesting to see how they have taken a lot of the science behind the design and efficiency of an airplane and implemented them. They even implemented a “Wind” indicator which in aviation essentially would be our airspeed indicator. Pretty cool stuff
Seems likely that the 140kph limit is also implemented because that shape OBVIOUSLY creates a lot of lift and not because of efficiency - even Germans are able to NOT drive as fast as possible on the Autobahn. The artificial limits manufacturers (basically except for Tesla, even Porsche does it on the Taycan) set are almost like they assume their buyers aren't smart enough to grasp the impact of speed on consumption..
@@NO3V German automakers like Mercedes and Porsche especially Mercedes are known for prioritizing the safety of their cars and being innovative when it comes to safety features and features in general so I think they were probably just crossing their T’s and dotting their I’s by choosing to limit the speed to that
You do realize that they have been putting the science or aerodynamics of planes into cars since the inception of planes? That's such a peculiar comment.
@@alexandrep4913 I do realize this but how many cars are you aware of essentially have an “airspeed” indicator to tell the vehicle the actually speed of the air contacting the vehicle. My comment was simply an observation suggesting this vehicle took it a step further then most.
i like these concept cars. showing what can be done when everything is optimized. its always a matter of catching up the regulators and the general public to what engineers already know.
@@fbyi2940 the Crown has had 15 generations of design in Japan until this 16th which is its first appearance in the U.S. and you call it an American sedan? 😂😂😁
I can imagine that when your were editing this you were head shaking all the way through at the insanely terrible luck with the audio. Birds, back up beepers, alarms, wind, rain. Wild car. It'll be fun to see some more of these efficiencies in production models.
Honestly so cool to see this kind of tech from legacy automakers. Shows which of the old guard actually care about future technologies and the drive to push for efficiency in the world of electric cars. Also, the interior color combo is 🔥👌🏻
Of course, they have had a 100 years to try and test their technologies, while Tesla is like what? 12 years old? I don't see Tesla surviving in another 10-20 years especially as others ramp up their electric vehicle tech
@@bsame I’m not so convinced, they’re way too deep with their noses in big oil. If China is not messing things up with their neo-imperialism attitude, they will steamroll most of the legacy carmakers. I guess Mercedes, BMW and Audi will make nice sub brands in a BYD company portfolio… 😢
I'd say both the EQXX and the Aptera are showing an amazing passion to minimize drag and maximize efficiency -but they apply to completely different audiences. The Mercedes Prototype is a full 4 Seated car that looks and drives like a typical mercedes. The Aptera on the other hand has two seats, 3 wheels and is meant to be a cost efficient small vehicle. At 5:54 the Aptera was never meant and said to be only solar driven - in fact the solar back hatch is an optional upgrade you would have to pay extra, if you want that 40 mi per day solar range possibility. With the standard glass hatch cover, for long distance travel or for cloudy days you will be able to use the new NACs Plug standard, formerly known as Tesla Supercharger plug. The fact that the solar back hatch could gain enough milage per day to recharge for typical commuting on sunny days, or to completely cover your weekend long distance travel instead, is a sentiment to its 0.15 drag coefficient and its extreme overall efficieny. I'm very happy to see, that Mercedes engineers keep pushing the boundaries of technology for really good and efficient cars.
No offence to Mercedes and I'm glad to see other automakers really push for efficiency, but I'm definitely more excited to see where the Aptera goes. I'm a little tired of expensive luxury cars getting all the attention and smaller economy cars getting overlooked. I hope to here reviews from people like you guys in the coming years to see how Apteras run.
Hey Marques props for showing you can still make a RU-vid channel with just a phone but you seriously need to add a microphone to your set up. The phone one just doesn’t cut it especially if I’m wearing headphones
The Aptera isn't only charged on solar. It has DC Fast Charging up to 60 KWh, but its so efficient you get more miles/KWh than other EVs. They plan on having a 1,000 mi version too.
Yeah, He made a small mistake I believe with the video saying this is the car with the lowest drag co-efficient, and the aptera has a lower co-efficient. This car is 0.17, the aptera is 0.13.
Completely agree although I believe it has a drag coefficient of 0.13 not 0.15. I am a reservation holder and hope to see @Apteramotors on @autofocus in the near future.
They might’ve helped them design or maybe they just intentionally took inspiration from them because for the past 4 or 5 years mercedes has been supplying their models engines and had ownership in their company
Great idea by Merc to set a benchmark with this, then you can work backwards from there adding all the extras / weight / power hungry bits people want. As the Economist Thomas Sowell once said "There are no solutions, only trade offs" Very true when it comes to electric car efficiencies.
Do we really need this level of efficiency? I would say if we can get 1000 km with better battery technology but at the current model 3/y efficiency I think we are good.
@@alexandruilea915 It's up to the consumer to decide what they want, if this vehicle is put into production and sells like hot cakes, they have made a decision. This explores the balancing act between efficiencies / usability / comfort / luxury etc.
I absolutely love this car. Amazing design and breakthrough tech. You could have also mentioned that they worked of the chemistry of the battery to gain more energy density. And even with this diffuser, the car is still road homologated!
My RWD EQS 450+ gives me 400+ miles in summer weather with a/c, hyperscreen, massage and other conveniences on. Can’t wait for the next gen EQ to ramp it up further! 👏
So glad you mentioned Aptera Motors! Would love to see you do a review of Aptera once the production model is available. Aptera has a drag coefficient of 0.13, the lowest of any production vehicle.
Lol literally, the aptera has been in development for 20 years. Already hyped the car time ago before they disappeared. Not hyping this car until it’s actually on the road
Yeah, he's mistaken, the aptera is more efficient. Maybe he isn't aware of aptera or not considering it because it's a 3 wheeler. Either way, should have mentioned it.
Only thing i would change is i would remove some of the solar panels in the rear so you can actually see out the rear. but maybe if they had a camera based system that would be cool too!
Nice car. I love to see what the boundaries are so we can pick and choose our efficiency compromises in favor of better styling, comfort and features. This can then be applied for super-long range cars or more affordable cars (smaller batteries) with more normal ranges. Great work.
It would be super cool if they did a "build your car" on their website where we can see the exact tradeoff in range and selling price when picking different interior (should be pretty simple as its just weight and watts determined). I'd like to see how much it would affect range to get climate control, luxury seats, half the size of the screen, no solar-panels, proper door-handles etc Also, they would get valuable data from their customers I guess. Win WIn!
@@thoughtsofapeer Tesla does something like that now. You change the default wheels and it updates the estimated range - along with other options that might impact the range.
First: Awesome car presentation !( as always). And I respect your dedication to make this channel "recorded on IPhone-only" but I must honeslty say that the sound-quality in this video is extremely poor. The IPhone's mics clearly struggle with wind-noise, there is a weird transition going on when you switch the perspective between you and the car and distracting background noises (notice the geese at around 6:06) seem to be overly emphasized relative to your voice. So perhaps you might consider using a dedicated mic or shooting in less demanding conditions. Don't get me wrong, I love this one-shot style for these videos, it somehow feels more personal and immersive as a viewer and the IPhone is definitely a good device for that. But I think that with a little bit more sophisticated sound-gear, videos shot under such tricky conditions would be much more enjoyable.
Love this concept. Without a rear window I wonder what's the plan for rear viewing. Considering that they do not want to use a constant feed from cameras.
Eh, not necessarily. EVs are a mild improvement over cars with gasoline engines, but in terms of the big picture, we just need to drive less cars altogether. With an efficient EV that you charge from a completely "green" source of electricity (an extremely generous, unrealistic assumption), you're going to be saving maybe 50% of the carbon emissions throughout the lifetime of the car. If you didn't own the car at all, you'd be saving 100% of the emissions. If you live in a place like India, where most electricity comes from burning coal, you're actually causing more net emissions by using an EV. And I'm not even touching on other issues with Lithium mining (the ones not related to emissions). If you absolutely *need* to buy a new car, and you live in a country that produces at least a good portion of its electricity from green sources, then sure, go with an EV. But ideal would be to reduce your driving as much as possible. Sadly not realistic for many people, given the infrastructure of some countries.
@@alexandruilea915 I believe last I saw the numbers, an EV powered entirely off a 100% 'dirty' grid is still emitting less co2 overall than a gasoline-powered car (presumably comparing like-for-like, not Prius vs Hummer EV). The big difference-maker is the efficiency of a large-scale power plant burning fossil fuel for electricity vs the efficiency of a small internal combustion engine. You're losing a LOT of energy as waste heat in an ICE vehicle; not nearly as much goes to actually spinning tires and moving the vehicle around. An EV's losses come from losses at the source (a large power plant is making much better use of the energy from burning fuel), from transmission lines, charging and friction. Surprisingly little is lost in transition once the electricity is generated. EVs also recapture energy lost to braking (which, to be fair, is something hybrids do as well), which is another source a pure ICE vehicle is just turning to heat and letting go. Not that any of it makes a substantial enough difference to change much on its own. Taylan is on the right track - when it comes to efficiency, finding a marginally better way to move our air conditioned living rooms on wheels to and from anywhere we want isn't exactly a winning strategy when it comes to slowing climate change. We do need better vehicle options for the situations where they're needed, but the core of the emissions problem is solved by large-scale changes on a more fundamental level. We should never have allowed our entire society to be built on this idea that the car is the center of everything. That most places have streets and parking lots within a 10 second walk of the front door is a "convenience" bought by massive subsidy and abject loss of all personal choice and options when it comes to how we move around in our everyday lives. Public transit and biking/pedestrian infrastructure should be everywhere, clean and well kept so people want to use it, convenient to the point where doing anything else to get around only makes sense in unusual or exceptional circumstances. And the question for "how do we pay for it" is one that should *currently* be pointed at the roads and parking lots we've built over all the land that could have been generating tax revenue and uplifting communities instead. People need to understand that all these scary-sounding things don't mean leaving behind the freedom or lifestyle we prefer. What's truly unacceptable is just how absolutely *required* car ownership is, no matter where you live. Very few places in America you can consider cars 'optional', and the pitfalls of that are felt at all levels of life. We're just so used to living with it that nobody cares to question whether things could be better. Just something to think about next time you're traffic.
@@MaskedMammal I know what you mean but you can't compare burning coal with burning gasoline from a pollution standpoint as coal is way worse then gasoline.
Hey Marques, love your car reviews! I'm always curious about how you manage to get your hands on all these amazing cars to review. Do you have friends in the car industry or do car companies lend them to you? Keep up the great work!
It's not just drag coefficient that matters, but also frontal area. You multiply the drag coefficient by the frontal area to get the CdA, basically the whole aerodynamic picture. A car with a slightly higher drag coefficient but two-thirds of the frontal area will have less overall drag.
Completely agree, although I believe the drag coefficient is 0.13, we should continue to ask for an Aptera review on this channel. I think Marques would prefer to review the final production ready vehicle, although the @jerryrigeverything video of the Aptera models was amazing and certainly expanded the reach of Aptera in the RU-vid Community.
Aptera’a highest config has 1,000 MILES, not just 1,000km. Those three wheels are preventing it from being called a “car” but it’ll still be the most efficient “vehicle”
@@NYCCEJ I’m really surprised at Marques’ take on solar. It’s as if he’s not experienced the amount of power that can be generated by them. My home is fully powered even on cloudy days. I think he discounts their value on a car too greatly
i really love this ,most of the things about this car will never be used but its cars like these that push the limit and 2-3 years in the future you will see some of its features implemented in your daily average cars , i remember being at a car convention in 2012 and they had the first tesla production car with the big "ipad" screen , at the time it was amazing for me a WHOLE screen in a car dash ,fast forward 6 years and most cars are have them ,in 2006 i was amazed we had cooling seats in my dads nissan pathfinder
What an incredible vehicle.. absolutely gorgeous, and that interior!! Also... "Went with side mirrors because it was found having a display always on with the rear view used about the same amount of power" Then proceeds to have a 4 foot wide display that's always on...
We need @mkbhd and other auto influencers to raise up @apteramotors as a new potential future for car owners. While he doesn't give much importance to solar electric vehicles, the fact is that for most people their daily driving is less than 40 miles per day, allowing for the possibility of a never charge vehicle. If you need to charge, @apteramotors is the first company to adopt the Tesla Charging system, which is certainly the most reliable charging network in the US as has been covered in many channels including @autofocus
I think the Mclaren Speedtail has a similar tail to it shape-wise, so that’s a car that has done that previously. I’ll admit in a very low production volume though.
Aptera has a drag of .13 we'll see when they're both in production how far each will go. This obviously can fit 4 people whereas you can only seat 2 in the Aptera
You beat me to it. I was coming to comment that exact thing. Technically and legally, in the US, the Aptera is not a car, so this Merc still wins when we consider cars. The Aptera is an autocycle, which is like a motor-cycle/car thing. I want one, but I won't be the first person to put down $40K for the long range version. Hopefully, there's a 100K people with enough disposable income to do it first so I know it works before I put down my money.
@@N1rOx why not? They have suppliers set up and are very close to their funding goal. If Faraday Future can make it to production Patera definitely can.
Fun fact: The interior of the VISION EQXX is free of animal products - its seats are made of mushroom fibers and cactus fibers. The carpets are made of bamboo, and the interior plastic is made out of trash that would typically be in a landfill. Using these materials halve the carbon footprint of leather, according to Mercedes.
You mentioned the Aptera, but it actually has a lower coefficient of air at just 0.13 and will do over 1000 miles on a full charge. It to is a prototype as is the EQXX, so it should hold the title of Worlds most efficient car. When either of these goes into production, then that title will change! I really like your videos! Keep up the great reviews.
I agree, except the Aptera is not really a car, but a tricycle. That means it doesn't have to adhere to the same regulations, if it did it would probably be less efficient than it is. It could still be more efficient than the Mercedes
Aptera is not a car. It's half the vehicle of this. There is no 1,000 mile Aptera. This car is getting just under 6 miles/kWh but it's a huge battery. 6-8 for Aptera is a good guess.
If you’re so worried about that level of efficiency, it seems it would be better to go with something like an Apterra. 2 person seater for daily driving and solar with emergency extra seats in back/jump seats
Speaking of prototype vehicles... Have a look at the Aptera. 1000 miles of range, solar powered electric vehicle, on a 99kwh battery. Edit yes he mentioned the Aptera at 5:51 !!!
Aptera...we will see. Marques mentioned why, unless you live in Saudi Arabia, it doesn't make a lot of sense. I hope it works but I'm not sold...living in PNW.
@@sports2hedz542 the solar thing is only a secondary feature the main point is that it it so light and efficient that even if solar does nothing it is super cheap to drive
Had to look up the drag co efficiency of the Aptera and its said to be 0.3. It has solar panels on the hood inside the car on the dash and on the rear window which can give 40 miles on free alone. Aptera is American company based in cali I believe and the starting price is 25k so yea I’ll take that over this. But I am on a budget so 😅
