Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven ushers the future of electric powertrain

16 June 2023

Mercedes unveiled the Vision One-Eleven concept vehicle intending to create an icon. The company is in the process of shifting away from ICE legacy, and it is trying really hard to focus on the future and luxury. Nobody debates the name Mercedes being synonymous with luxury, but the company wants to take it up a notch.

Mercedes designers took an interesting approach with the One-Eleven. It takes its design cues from the 1960s Mercedes C111 - it was a batch of futuristic vehicles designed to test future technology. The cars were using Wankel engines and the first turbo-diesels and were sporting polymer bodyshells. Essentially, the C111 is responsible for giving us decades of turbo diesel engines.

Thankfully, the One-Eleven looks to the future, and the exterior design is the only influence it carries from the classic C111. Speaking of design - the One-Bow approach is breathtaking. Yes, it is only a concept vehicle, but honestly - it wouldn’t look out of place on the Tron movie set. The gullwing doors complete the exterior and add the extra drama as if the One-Eleven wasn’t dramatic enough already.

The interior - well, the interior is something else. While the futuristic floating display looks intriguing, the rectangular yoke indicates that the steering wheel as we know it will eventually be forgotten. The rest would have been an amazing feat of interior design if its color scheme wasn’t aimed at the TikTok audience. The shiny silver seats distract from their own design, and the added luggage and other wardrobe items are simply an attempt to grab the attention of future customers.

But the real secret hides under the body. While the younger generation will be falling over themselves to grab a few selfies in the outrageous interior, some of us may be more interested in the real reason behind creating the One-Eleven. The future electric powertrains from Mercedes are in a league of their own.

Starting with the next generation of YASA axial-flux electric motors. Despite being far more powerful than traditional radial-flux motors used in the majority of electric cars, the YASA motors weigh just one-third of what the traditional motors weigh. Less weight means less volume, and again - the next-gen radial-flux motors take up only a third of the space required by the current technology. And let’s not forget about the lack of rare-earth minerals, since the YASA motors don’t use any.

The battery pack in One-Eleven showcases the new cylindrical battery cells, but the real secret sauce here is the liquid cooling. The battery cells use undisclosed “novel” chemistry and promise unprecedented performance - super-fast charging and high energy density are the buzzwords here. This technology isn’t as far out as we may expect though, both the 2nd generation YASA motors and the new batteries will underpin the first electric performance models from AMG.

The Mercedes One-Eleven is like an onion - you peel one layer off, and there’s more hiding under. It’s a forever-giving concept vehicle that’s full of very clever tech. Take the AR glasses - they make the side windows redundant, and the driver feels like a pilot of an F-35 wearing the HMDS, albeit more classy.

You put on the glasses, and the car disappears, giving you a completely unobstructed view akin to an X-ray vision. The user interface is based around AR as well, with icons and screens floating in the air - it may seem futuristic, but the technology is already here, and the pair of glasses from Mercedes is far more attractive than the overpriced ski goggles known as Apple Vision.

Mercedes took the One-Eleven concept a step further, and it offers a limited edition “1 of 111” collection that includes a weekender bag, sunglasses, an orange hoodie, and an orange baseball cap. The matching iPhone 14 Pro cover completes the offer, and all items will be available from August via a dedicated website.

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