Mercedes EV breaks 1,000-kilometer range barrier to outdo Tesla

A Mercedes-Benz AG electric car drove more than 1,000 km (621 miles) from Germany to the French Riviera on a single charge, taking the fight to seize the technology limelight from Tesla to the next level.

The EQXX prototype rode from Sindelfingen near Stuttgart via Switzerland and Italy to the Mediterranean coastal town of Cassis, the automaker said on Thursday. The sedan’s lightweight chassis and aerodynamic profile allowed it to complete the trip with a battery half the size of Mercedes’s EQS flagship electric vehicle.

The EQXX “is the most efficient Mercedes ever built”, Chief Executive Offi­cer Ola Kallenius said in a statement. “The technology programme behind it marks a milestone in the development of electric vehicles.”

Mercedes plans to spend €60 billion ($65 billion) through 2026 to fend off Tesla and win back the title of the world’s best-selling luxury-car maker from its rival BMW AG. The company has a goal to sell only EVs where possible by the end of this decade and plans to set up eight battery factories with partners.