Mercedes-Benz provided flights from Detroit to Stuttgart and accommodation so Ars could be briefed on the GT XX, as well as some other things we can't publish just yet. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.
AFFALTERBACH, Germany—A few years ago, we were treated to the Mercedes-Benz EQXX. It was, at the time, the pinnacle of Mercedes engineering built for the purpose of maximum electric range. While an impressive piece of machinery that looked like it drove out of Le Mans, it wasn't designed to be a high-performance electric vehicle with an AMG badge. That's ok, though, because there is a high-performance AMG electric concept, called the GT XX, that introduces the world to the future of high-performance AMG electrics and debuts the AMG.EA architecture.
The 800 V AMG.EA isn't like an 800-volt you've experienced before. Mercedes claims that the car can charge at greater than 850 kW over a wide portion of the charging session. While the company didn't provide any graphs, based on the hardware onboard, there's little reason to doubt that claim.
To feed an EV that much power, the charging station would need to output at 1,000 A, and the company worked with its European partner Alpitronic to develop a prototype charging station. The current prototype uses a CCS connector, which is the standard in Europe.
If you were using the prototype charger, or using another location that could deliver peak performance (which doesn't currently exist), you could add 400 kilometers (249 miles) of WLTP in approximately five minutes connected to that charger.
The EQXX looked like a Le Mans car; the GT XX can perform like one. Credit: Mercedes-AMG
That's thanks to a new battery pack for AMG.EA that uses nickel/cobalt/manganese/aluminum (NCMA) in the cathode and silicon content in the anode. The cylindrical cells are taller and narrower than in a more traditional pack. These cells have a smaller diameter—which makes heat dissipation quicker and allows for Mercedes engineers to use direct-cell cooling technology.
A non-conductive oil flows between the cells in the pack, following through coolant channels to rapidly expel the unwanted heat. Not only does this help regulate temperature for on-track consistency, it also allows the vehicle to charge at such a rapid rate and then return immediately to the track without a loss of performance.