“It is pure physics”, he says stepping inside the wind tunnel at the Sindelfingen plant in Germany. He is Teddy Woll, head of the Aerodynamics department at Mercedes-Benz. And he is the one that put the aerodynamics to the test.
Teddy Woll explains what “aerodynamics” actually means. It is made up of the old Greek word “aer”, which is “air” in English, while “dynamics” is rooted in the “dynamis”, which means “force”. Thus the aerodynamics is the forces created by air.
The aerodynamics of the cars is physics. The wind tunnel produces the air flow that shows the engineers where it stammers and stumbles and needs improvement. The basic shape of the car will determine the biggest impact on drag. The drag coefficient will show the quality of forms. The lower the figure is the more aerodynamic is the car.
Mercedes-Benz EQC, more aerodynamic than a plate
One of the lowest drag coefficients in the world is that of the body of the penguin: 0.05. A simple flat plat features a cd value of 1. But the Mercedes-Benz EQS is more aerodynamic than a plate. It features a cd value of 0.27.
The figures have been achieved thanks to the round front end that guides the air towards the front wings and over the greenhouse.
The Mercedes-Benz EQC, recently tested by the Mercedesblog team, spent approximately 500 hours in the wind tunnel for the tests. Simulations, comparisons to other models, comparisons to other objects, data stored for future tests took up time and computer memory.
Elements such as the completely closed underbody, the aerodynamic optimized wheels or the roof spoiler with an integrated side spoiler help reduce drag. The Air Regulation System, with the air curtains, plays the same part in the aerodynamics of the highly aerodynamic EQC.
The engineers of the division say their job is interesting and fun. They are, after all, one of the first people to see the early design of the models. This is what they have to deal with from the very beginning.
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