During its 2020 strategy presentation held this week, Mercedes announced ambitious plans to expand its EV lineup with three new models within the next year, including the production EQS sedan inspired by the stunning Vision EQS Concept, and the EQA and EQB crossovers. Mercedes claims the EQS will have a range of up to 435 miles based on Europe's WLTP cycle. While this falls short of the Tesla Model S Plaid's claimed 520-mile range, Mercedes is also developing a prototype dubbed the EQXX that the automaker claims will have the highest efficiency and the world's longest electric car range.

While no technical specifications were revealed, Mercedes claims the EQXX will be capable of traveling from Shanghai to Beijing or Nice to Stuttgart on a single charge.

This suggests it will have a range of at least 750 miles, eliminating range anxiety. The project is being developed by a team in Stuttgart with support from the UK-based AMG High Performance Powertrains group that manufactures Formula One engines.

Rather than increasing the battery capacity and adding extra unnecessary weight, the project's engineers claim that aerodynamic efficiency will enable longer ranges. The EQXX's aerodynamic design is previewed in a series of shadowy teaser images, but the design details are hidden.

"The easiest way is to put a bigger battery in the car, but it leads to diminishing returns. The key is efficiency of vehicle and powertrain," said Mercedes' research and development boss Markus Schafer.

While the Vision EQXX is expected to be a one-off prototype showcasing the technological prowess of the electric Mercedes EQ brand, experience gained from the project will be applied to future production models.

"Today I want to share our plans to go really beyond, to see a new frontier of range and efficiency. To find a new way of working, to speed up product development and tech advancement," Schafer added. "We have set up a group of our engineers to take on an extraordinary task, to build the longest and highest efficiency electric car the world has ever seen. This is a serious project, chasing next generation technologies. We intend to incorporate the learning into the next generation of series production cars."