In just one run of its prototype GT XX, Mercedes-AMG shattered 25 EV records that, while a bit unusual, show us just how advanced the tech in these experimental machines really is. The Concept AMG GT XX lapped the famed high-speed test track in Nardò, Italy, for nearly eight continuous days. Yeah, you read that right. Along the way, it set the record for the greatest distance ever covered by an electric vehicle within 24 hours, as well as 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168.
The most relevant of these records is the 24-hour test, as Mercedes-AMG sought to take the crown away from the Xpeng P7. The Chinese electric sedan set that record earlier this month, traversing 2,462 miles in one day. The AMG bested the P7, managing 943 more miles in the same 24 hours for a grand total of 3,405 miles.
However, the big, honkin’ record broken by the AMG GT XX is the “around the world in eight days test,” which Mercedes claims to be a nod to Jules Verne’s famous novel Around the World in 80 Days. The team of racing drivers ended up not driving 80 days or even eight days, because on the morning of Monday, Aug. 25, they managed to cover the circumference of the world (24,901 miles) in exactly 7 days, 13 hours, 24 minutes, and 07 seconds.
In fact, the team and the two AMG GT XXs involved in the test performed so well that they kept going and made it an even 25,000 miles. I suppose, at an average speed of 186 mph, it didn’t take very long. But then again, after nearly a week of driving, I’m sure every minute felt like an hour.
To accomplish this, AMG employed a team of 17 drivers to take turns behind the wheel, each one of them driving two-hour stints. If you’re wondering why only two hours, that’s because drivers were expected to maintain an average speed of 186 mph for the duration of their stint. That’s not just difficult and dangerous, but extremely physically and mentally taxing. One of the drivers involved was F1 driver George Russell, though Mercedes didn’t communicate how long or how many stints he drove. Maybe he just did one stint for publicity? We’ll never know. More noteworthy perhaps, one of my favorite up-and-comers from the F1 Academy was also involved, Doriane Pin, as well as Sebastian Vettel’s younger brother, Fabian Vettel.
“As an F1 driver, I’m used to pushing technology to its absolute limits—the Concept AMG GT XX really impressed me,” said Russell via press release. “The axial flux motors respond as immediately and precisely as a Formula 1 drivetrain, but with an endurance that I have only ever experienced with combustion engines. This technology will revolutionize the driving experience—both on the racetrack and on the road.”
The focus of the test was to explore the behavior and endurance of Mercedes’ axial flux motors and a directly cooled battery over long distances and periods of time, especially as they apply to a high-performance EV with 1,360 hp. Other developmental components include compact gearboxes, new booster motors, and Bluetooth-controlled aero wings.
Mercedes is known for tackling some of these grandiose but somewhat obscure records. A few years back, it set an efficiency record with the incredible AMG Vision EQXX, a one-of-one EV test bed I had the chance to drive in 2022. Although it has a slightly different focus, the F1-derived AMG One also set a lap record around the Nurburgring for the fastest “production” vehicle. Right.
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