Electric Mercedes travels over 1,000km through four countries on a single charge

Vision EQXX travelled from Germany to the South of France via Italy and the Swiss Alps

The Mercedes-Benz EQXX travelled more than 1,000km from Germany to the south of France through Switzerland and Italy (Mercedes)

A Mercedes-Benz concept car has travelled over 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) across four countries on a single charge.

The Mercedes Vision EQXX, touted as “the highest efficiency electric car in the world”, was driven from Sindelfingen in Germany to Cassis in the South of France, passing through Switzerland and Italy along the way.

The journey included real-world traffic conditions in towns, prolonged cruising at 140kph (87mph) along motorways, and a section crossing the Swiss Alps.

“With our successful road trip to the South of France, we’ve shown that efficiency is the new currency,” said Markus Schäfer, chief technology officer at Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

“The Vision EQXX is the result of a comprehensive program that provides a blueprint for the future of automotive engineering... We will keep testing the limits of what’s possible.”

The trip was made in a single day, totalling 1,008km, and finished with 15 per cent charge level still remaining on the battery.

The Vision EQXX is only a concept car and therefore not available commercially but Mercedes hopes it will provide a blueprint for future vehicles, with some innovative developments already being integrated into production.

The car includes a fixed solar roof containing 117 solar cells, which feed the 12-volt battery that supplies power to electronics within the vehicle, such as the navigation system. This prevents the main battery from being wasted and increases the range by around 2 per cent.

“The Vision EQXX is the most efficient Mercedes ever built,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes.

“The technology program behind it marks a milestone in the development of electric vehicles. It underpins our strategic aim to ‘lead in electric’.”

The 1,000+km journey is close to the world record for an electric vehicle travelling on everyday roads, falling short of the 1,200km travelled by a Tesla Model S equipped with a proof-of-concept battery.

The achievement was more than double the range of a standard Tesla, and more than the highest range of any mass-produced gasoline-powered vehicles.