The electric car is getting better and better. Its range is getting longer, but regular ICE cars are getting better too, and the diesel hybrid is a huge step forward that dwarfs all the progress made in electric cars. Some people have already tried to highlight what a diesel hybrid can do, but they were hypermilers driving slowly. Mercedes chose to do something different when it launched its E300 Bluetec Hybrid on the British market. The plan was to drive as fast as possible. Though on public roads, so the car wouldn’t drive faster than legally permitted.

The Mercedes E300 Bluetec Hybrid drove 830 miles with an average fuel consumption of 56 mpg (data on the video is with Imperial gallons). An excellent result for a comfortable business saloon like an E-class, and even more impressive considering the trip started and ended on a airport runway where the car had the opportunity to stretch its legs, up to 136 mph. But the best news is that the car still had a quarter of a tank of fuel to spare. That means a 1173 miles range.

Europeans love diesels, and this car will make us appreciate it even more. We can predict EVs will be a hard sell with people who are used to the fantastic range of a diesel.