Pioneering EV tech, and VR integration
There’s plenty of interesting stuff going on underneath the bodywork, too. The Mercedes Vision One-Eleven features a new liquid-cooled battery tech that has been engineered at Mercedes-AMG’s High Performance Powertrain centre in Brixworth, and a pair of what are called axial-flux motors from Merc subsidiary YASA.
Tim Woolmer, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of YASA explains: “Axial-flux motors are significantly lighter and more compact, yet more powerful than comparable radial-flux motors currently used in 99 per cent of all electric cars.
“Compared to radial-flux motors, they have considerably higher and more enduring power reserves, which delivers a whole new level of performance.”
This means the car could in theory generate equal levels of power and torque while saving weight and space – these new motors are roughly one third of the size and weight of a traditional motor – allowing engineers to reconsider how these EV powertrains are packaged inside the car.
It's not just about what you can see on the Vision One-Eleven, either, because Mercedes has also implemented augmented reality into the presentation of this new concept. Don a VR headset and the car is recreated in a virtual space, but information such as upcoming roadworks, or even unseen hazards that would be blocked by the A-pillar can be brought into view thanks to a kind of x-ray mode.
Mercedes has gone all out with its latest deisgn showcase, but the looks of this retro-inspired One-Eleven concept are simply the draw for what lays underneath. We won't complain should a new Mercedes sportscar that looks like this ever arrive, but what we can be certain of is that car manufacturers have barely scratched the surface of what's possible for the future of EVs. Is the issue of bloated and overweight electric models soon to be an issue of the past?