Mercedes-AMG’s electric future plays on Swedish frozen lake

Mercedes-AMG is preparing its first fully electric car, and to illustrate its progress, the company has released some photos of a vehicle prototype on the icy expanses of a Swedish lake.

The scene looks playful, but according to the official reading, the prototype of Mercedes-AMG’s battery-powered sports car is undergoing rigorous tests under severe winter conditions near the Arctic Circle, where temperatures have dipped to as low as -25 degrees Celsius.

We’ll leave it up for debate how rigorous ice drifting is. After the ongoing tests in Sweden, which present the start of a comprehensive evaluation program, the prototype will be subjected to various conditions worldwide.

New platform

The all-electric AMG won’t use an existing platform but is built on the new one.EA architecture is designed explicitly for high-performance electric vehicles. It integrates axial-flux motors with a high-voltage battery to achieve unprecedented levels of power density, size, and weight efficiency. Or, that’s at least what the crew in Affalterbach wants us to believe.

Despite the heavy camouflage obscuring much of the final design (no, those taillights won’t make it through), the outcome is expected to draw some design inspiration from the 2022 Vision AMG concept.

Aiming for the Taycan

The visible design elements suggest a sporty and functional fastback design, emphasizing performance and practicality. Don’t be mistaken. The envisioned rival is the Porsche Taycan, which beat the Nürburgring record for four-door EVs only one week ago.

The axial-flux motors, which are costly and have higher production complexity, must lend the first zero-emission sports car from AMG an edge over its Stuttgart opponent. If the development and scalability fall into place, these pancake-shaped motors could redefine electric performance standards.

We’ll have to wait until the final months of this year or early 2025, when Mercedes-AMG will start its journey toward a fully electric lineup with the unveiling of its first EV.