Mercedes Drove Its Electric Sedan ‘Around the World’ and Shattered 25 EV Records

Electric vehicles threaten the established order. In June, Xiaomi, the Chinese tech giant long-known for its smartphones, set a Nürburgring track record for a production EV. Power is cheap, and as Mercedes-AMG prepares its new EV architecture, it put the platform through a grueling test—circumvent the Earth in eight days.

Mercedes didn’t really drive its AMG GT XX concept around the world. Instead, it set out to drive 24,901 miles around the Nardò circuit in Italy. The endeavor required a massive team of people, from 17 drivers, including Formula 1 team driver George Russell, to the 24/7 fire and rescue services, mechanics, and other crew members.

But Mercedes did it. Twice. The automaker campaigned two Concept AMG GT XXs at the track, which set off simultaneously. It took 3,177 laps and 7 days, 13 hours, 24 minutes, and 7 seconds to complete the program, and it wasn’t the only record the Mercedes broke.

It set 25 long-distance records over that week, including the one for the greatest distance covered by an EV in 24 hours. The AMG drove 3,404 miles in a day, beating the previous record by more than 940 miles. It also traveled 25,000 miles in less than eight days.

Drivers maintained a speed of 186 miles per hour, which engineers found offered the best balance between speed and recharges. The drivers only stopped to recharge, averaging 850 kilowatts, and they maintained this cadence for nearly eight days.

Mercedes wanted to simulate the stresses the powertrain could experience, putting the batteries and electric motor through numerous high-load driving and high-speed charging cycles. The automaker aimed for the EVs to travel the farthest distance in the shortest amount of time.

“The goal is to redefine the limits of what is technically possible in the age of electric drives,” said Markus Schäfer, the chief technology officer and a member of the board of management. 

The 800-volt platform Mercedes is preparing, the AMG.EA, uses three axial-flux motors housed in two electric drive units, powering all four wheels with a liquid-cooled battery. This isn’t a half-measure like the brand’s previous efforts. AMG is trying to push the industry forward through innovation.

The powertrain produces more than 1,360 horsepower in the concept, surpassing the Lucid Air’s output but slightly less than the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra’s 1,548 hp. The future of EVs shouldn’t be all about pure power, or that’s the narrative Mercedes is trying to change.