Mercedes-Benz EQXX concept car has elements made from nappies

Mercedes-Benz has wowed the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas with a visionary concept that could revolutionise vehicle design.

The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept car points to a new direction for the brand.

Used nappies, rotten food and waste fibre from sugar cane could be key ingredients in the car of the future.

Forget about towering SUVs with V8 engines, rich leather trim, 25-speaker stereos and enormously powerful motors – Mercedes-Benz reckons cashed-up customers are just as likely to lean toward sustainability.

The Mercedes-Benz EQXX concept car built for the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas suggests the brand will think outside the box for upcoming models.

The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept car is the brand’s most efficient creation.

In the same way that fashionable folk wouldn’t be busted with a styrofoam coffee cup, the EQXX shuns conventional manufacturing and materials to focus on new tech that could make it into your next car.

Some elements are made from recycled household rubbish transformed into a plastic-like material that reduces landfill while cutting the brand’s reliance on raw materials. Surplus fibre from sugar cane reinforces carbon fibre components in the car’s structure, and photovoltaic cells embedded in the roof turn the roof into a giant solar panel.

The teardrop-shaped EQXX slips through the air with remarkable efficiency.

No more powerful than it needs to be, the EQXX has a 150kW motor that won’t come close to matching the supercar-rivalling thrust promised by the likes of Tesla.

But the Mercedes does bring more than 1000 kilometres of driving range from a battery half the size of those in its range-topping machines.

A fanatical attention to weight and aerodynamics might make that promise a reality.

The famous three-pointed star is a sticker under the paint’s clear coat, not a physical badge.

Its brake discs are made from lightweight aluminium alloy instead of steel, the 20-inch wheels are forged magnesium items wrapped in eco-minded Bridgestone rubber, and suspension springs are wound from fibreglass, not metal.

A wide-screen display runs the full width of the cabin.

The car usually draws cooling air from underneath the body, as opposed to front bumper openings that increase drag. Designers say its looks will find their way into next-gen models.

And Mercedes’ dominant Formula 1 team was roped in to find efficiencies in every element of the drivetrain, making the most of its precious energy.

Mercedes boss Ola Källenius said the concept’s drive to use 10kWh per 100 kilometres of driving is something the brand will strive for as it works to build “the world’s most desirable electric cars”.

Mercedes-Benz says the concept will be followed by production machines.

Chief technology officer Markus Schäfer told Autocar many elements of the vehicle are “very close to moving into series production”.

“We can look at the shape and form of the vehicle, and we are very close to the series car that we are going to see in 2024 with all the ingredients to make it one of the most efficient electric vehicles that exists”.

Originally published as Mercedes-Benz EQXX concept car has elements made from nappies