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The new Mercedes study Vision One-Eleven is actually three years late on the market. In 1970, the Stuttgart automaker introduced the C 111 at the Geneva Motor Show. The bright orange flat racer captivated with its incredibly low aerodynamic value (cW) of 0.183, and at the time it reached an incredible 325 km/h. A forward-looking jubilee prototype should have been a logical conclusion three years ago. But the work has only really come into focus now – better late than never.
With a drag coefficient of 0.19 and a height of 1.17 meters, the Mercedes Vision One-Eleven follows in the aerodynamic footsteps of its famous predecessor. This aerodynamics is made possible by an elaborate aerodynamics concept that starts with a curved body and a low front bumper and ends with a striking, monstrous rear diffuser. “What we learn from the EQXX flows into this car,” says designer Steffen Köhl, referring to the equally futuristic-looking long-distance efficiency master who managed to consume less than 10 kWh/100 km on a 1,000-mile journey. (Click here for a Blick test drive).
like in a space capsule
As befits a C111 successor, the Vision One-Eleven’s doors open wide. Hail to the past and the legendary Gullwing SLs. The interior, with its narrow digital infotainment band, has been reduced to essentials. As in a race car, only the backrests can be moved, and the flattened steering wheel at the top and bottom is reminiscent of formula cars. The interior is reminiscent of the shiny silver seat covers of a space capsule from a science fiction movie.
“Back to the future” is Vision One-Eleven’s all-electric drive technology expected to be available in the middle of the decade. Mercedes uses axial flux electric motors, the concept of which was conceived by Michael Faraday (1791-1867) as early as 1821. Electromagnetic flow, as the name suggests, moves perpendicular to the axis of rotation in electrical machines currently in use, while it moves parallel to the axis of rotation of the motor. The motors are flat disc-shaped, weighing only one-third the weight of current e-machines, and occupying only 33 percent of the installation space. And that’s with significantly higher peak and sustained output. In 2015, racing driver Rhys Millen (50) won the famous USA Pikes Peak hill climb behind the wheel of an all-electric car with the exotic name eO PP03. The sports car was equipped with six axial flux engines and had an output of about 1000 kW (1360 hp).
Electric motors instead of V8 diesels
Mercedes took over the British start-up Yasa in 2021 to bring this technology to the vehicle and has now overcome the challenge of the cooling and manufacturing process as well. Highlights are compact copper springs and direct oil cooling that is ten times more efficient than a water jacket. The developers’ goal is to make e-machines even more compact in the future. An electric motor can be placed on each wheel weighing approximately 20 kilograms. This building opens up completely new design possibilities. An exciting parallel to the original C111 is that it is powered by a Wankel engine with a rotating piston rotating in an oval-round combustion chamber.
The changing times are illustrated by the fact that the new axial flux engines are being produced at the Mercedes plant in Berlin-Marienfelde, exactly where eight-cylinder diesel engines previously rolled off the assembly line. In the future, axial flux engines will be used primarily in powerful Mercedes models, that is, mainly in AMGs. The energy for the power drive comes from round cell batteries inspired by the batteries used by the cell chemistry Formula 1 team.
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
