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When the business, political and scientific elite go to the WEF in Davos these days, the winter sports center will become a high-security zone. The possibility of a terrorist attack on Davos Castle should be reduced to zero as much as possible. But even if a large number of government representatives and businessmen are far from the Graubunden mountains, their safety must always be guaranteed; Consider the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky (45) to Bern earlier in the week.
When the world’s elite travel the roads of Switzerland, they do so in large police convoys consisting of private vehicles and several armored limousines, due to the danger they pose. The reference point for these tanks in car form is the Cadillac One, which US President Joe Biden (81) called the “Monster”, as well as the Mercedes S 680 Guard’, which was relaunched in 2021 and was named by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (65). is. ), for example, also relies.
Safe yes, sustainable no
The fortress on wheels meets the highest level of civilian testing with a VPAM 10 protection class – the armor of the all-wheel drive sedan alone weighs two tons. Panels made of bulletproof glass can withstand fire from hard-core steel ammunition from assault rifles. The S 680 Guard must also survive explosive attacks with up to 12.5 kilos of TNT unharmed (more on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s tank Mercedes).
However, armor and safety equipment make the sedan so heavy at 4.2 tonnes that Mercedes has used a twelve-cylinder, neither electric nor plug-in, with a whopping 612 hp to power it, which will accelerate the beast to 190 km/h in an emergency. trusts the engine. -in.The people in charge of Mercedes thought that hybrid driving was beneficial. But the thick V12 has a very significant drawback; especially for politicians from the two German eco-parties, the SPD and the Greens: the armored car does not quite reflect the often propagated image of sustainability.
The most important point is the battery
That is why some politicians, such as Greens Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (43) or Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister and party colleague Winfried Kretschmann (75), use shell game fraud. As in the case of Baerbock and Kretschmann, they often exit their heavily armored limousines a few hundred meters before the official appointment to change into the all-electric Mercedes EQS luxury limousine, which attracts media attention (also interesting: eco-bullying by German politicians).
For two years, Audi has been offering its luxury sedan A8 as a special protection version of the A8 L Security with a 571 hp V8 biturbo, also supported by an electric motor for greater efficiency and lower consumption. But in the field of armored limousines, this was the highest environmental sensation ever. Manufacturers have previously eschewed an all-electric drive, mainly because of the batteries in the underbody: not only do they add more weight to the vehicle, but due to their location they are also harder to maintain than in a conventionally designed car.
BMW doubled down
Despite the enormous effort spent on armoring the electric sedan, BMW not only presented the new 7 Series as a protection version in the summer of 2023, but also introduced its electric counterpart, the i7. The 5.39 meter long safety double is produced via a complex production process at the main factory in Dingolfing (D). The self-supporting body structure made of armored steel, combined with safety doors, underbody and roof armor as well as safety glass, ensures the safety of passengers in accordance with the VR9 protection class. As with the S 680 Guard, the windows meet the requirements of VPAM 10, the highest protection class for civilian special protection vehicles.
The internal combustion engine version of the BMW 7 Series Protection features a sealed fuel tank that closes automatically after impact. If desired, it can also be upgraded with body armor according to VPAM 10 to provide protection against explosive-laden drone attacks and fragments released from the explosion of grenades. Tank versions are not much different from civilian versions visually and in terms of interior comfort. They can only be recognized by the thicker and therefore darker safety glass, which can now also be heated from the front. The 20-inch wheels have run-flat features that allow you to continue driving at speeds of up to 80 km/h if the tires fail.
Electric tanks are already at the WEF
Two electric motors on the front and rear axles with 544 hp (400 kW) and 745 Nm provide traction for the first fully electric tank sedan. You can reach 100 km/h from standstill in 9.0 seconds; The speed is electronically locked to 160 km/h. Standard consumption is 30.0 kWh per 100 kilometers. The tank sedan is also available globally with the well-known 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol engine with 48-volt mild hybrid technology. 530 hp (390 kW) and 750 Nm accelerate the multi-tonne sedan to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds and a top speed of 210 km/h.
First deliveries of the 7 Series and i7 Protection began last December. Therefore, the world’s elite has most likely already attended the current WEF event with one of the new electric tanks. So far we can only speculate about the price: The price of the Mercedes S 680 Guard with a conventional V12 engine is over 550,000 francs. The armored BMW i7 must overcome this again. But money plays only a minor role in such elite circles anyway.
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.
