Volkswagen unveils its Mission Efficiency concept car
Volkswagen has unveiled its "Mission Efficiency" concept vehicle, aiming to set new benchmarks in electric mobility. The near-production electric car combines affordable mass-production technology with radical lightweight design and groundbreaking aerodynamics. The Mission Efficiency can be dubbed the legitimate successor to the limited-series VW XL1 model.
Electric concept vehicle Mission Efficiency by Volkswagen
Image: VW
With the Mission Efficiency, Volkswagen presents an electric car that demonstrates just how efficient and forward-thinking zero-emission car driving can be. While many associate modern cars with heavy batteries and high electricity costs at public fast chargers, this near-production concept vehicle offers a completely new perspective. Volkswagen proves that clever design and advanced engineering can drastically reduce energy consumption — without incurring astronomically high production costs.
At the heart of its development is an exceptionally streamlined shape that minimises aerodynamic drag. The design evokes a teardrop form, combined with a flat front, fully enclosed rear wheel covers, and a covered underbody. Once the car exceeds 80 km/h, this thoughtful design becomes highly noticeable, and power consumption drops by more than 30 per cent compared to conventional electric vehicles.
Mission efficiency uses production technology from the ID. Polo
Beneath the sleek bodywork lies no exotic special technology, but proven mass-production components from Volkswagen’s MEB+ platform, just like the new ID. Polo and ID. Cross. This includes the standard front-wheel-drive APP290 system with 99 kW, as well as the 54.9-kWh high-voltage battery (net), which is also used in other modern models from the brand. The package is complemented by specially developed low rolling resistance tyres from Continental, as well as solar cells on the glass roof and tailgate that provide additional free power for the onboard electrical system in everyday use.
Historically, the Mission Efficiency follows in the footsteps of the legendary VW XL1, built in a strictly limited small series of just 200 units in Osnabrück between 2014 and 2016. The XL1 entered automotive history as the “one-litre car” since it was not fully electric, but a plug-in hybrid.
While the XL1 was a costly technology laboratory with a complex carbon fibre body, the Mission Efficiency bridges the gap to mass-production suitability. The nearly 4.80-metre-long coupé offers a minimalist interior with four seats and a surprisingly spacious boot with a volume of 481 litres.
Records in consumption and drag coefficient
The vehicle demonstrated its remarkable capabilities during an officially documented long-distance drive covering 1,278 kilometres from Wolfsburg to Vienna. Over the entire route, the installed battery with a usable energy content of 54.9 kWh only needed to be recharged once. The journey was crowned by new official world records: in addition to an extremely low real-world consumption of 6.89 kWh/100 km, a drag coefficient (c W) of 0.158 sets a new benchmark for road-legal cars.
Volkswagen brand board member Thomas Schäfer says: “Mission Efficiency is the ideal way to demonstrate what distinguishes Volkswagen in the electric age: technology for the masses – not just for the few.” Kai Grünitz, board member for Technical Development, also highlighted the performance of the mass-produced components: “The new Mission Efficiency impressively demonstrates the incredible potential of the drive system in our new ID. Polo. Developed for all models based on MEB+ with front-wheel drive, the system is extremely light, very efficient and thus the ideal drive system for our record-breaking vehicle.”