Mercedes Announces New Electric Car Made Of Mushroom, Cactus, And Bamboo Fibers

During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz unveiled a well-waited concept of its Vision EQXX, an electric car made of organic fibers. The car is also capable of traveling for 620 miles on one charge. 

The new vehicle is entirely solar-powered and can go for 620 miles on one charge, which is the same as driving from New York City to Cincinnati or from Berlin to Paris. During the event, Mercedes mentioned that their Vision EQXX has a stable enough battery that a driver in the United States would only have to recharge their car twice in one month. 

Production plans for the Vision EQXX are still rather unclear and haven’t been set in stone, but the car is expected to compete with other high-end electric vehicles in the luxury car realm like Porsche’s Taycan and Audi’s e-Tron GT. According to Mercedes at the event, the Vision EQXX is the “most efficient vehicle Mercedes-Benz ever built.”

The Hill reports that the car’s efficiency is partly due to the materials the car is made with; the interior was crafted with mushroom fibers, cactus-based biomaterial, and 100% bamboo fiber.

Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes Benz AG, said at the event that the Vision EQXX is an “advanced car in so many dimensions and it even looks stunning and futuristic.” She added that it underlines Mercedes’ future as a company to build the world’s “most desirable electric cars.”

Interestingly, the electric car also utilizes 3D printing after Mercedes partnered with start-ups that use digital technology to lower the car’s waste by removing extra, unnecessary material with help from 3D printing.

The car’s battery was also designed to carry roughly 100kWh of energy, resulting in 50% reduced weight. If the car’s battery is low on the road, its solar panels help feed the battery system for an extra 25km.

Additionally, Mercedes built a 47.5-inch screen that spans across the entire width of the concept car, Vision EQXX. Finally, the Vision EQXX uses a Hyperscreen Infotainment display with 8k resolution that allows the driver or passenger to zoom in and scroll.