This sci-fi oddity is the extravagantly-named Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion concept, unveiled at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. It’s Stuttgart’s attempt of revolutionising the automobile as an autonomous “private retreating space,” part of its Vision 2030+.
Measuring 5,220 mm long, 2,018 mm wide and 1,524 mm tall, the car looks utterly bizzare, with a huge front grille decked out with LED lights, a streamlined, unadorned rotund body, a large rear LED array, massive 26-inch wheels and barely any overhang at all. A unique QR code replaces the traditional number plate.
The multitude of exterior lights enable the car to communicate with other vehicles and pedestrians – the rear display, for example, displays “SLOW” under regular braking and flashes “STOP” in an emergency stop. Added to that, a laser projector is incorporated into the large three-pointed star in front, projecting useful imagery onto the road ahead such as a virtual zebra crossing for pedestrians. The car can also interact with other road users via audible signals.
With a wheelbase measuring 3,610 mm long (some 245 mm longer than a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, itself no cramped city car), the F 015 promises a truly cavernous interior. The suicide doors open 90 degrees, with no B-pillar obstructing access to the cabin.
Stepping inside reveals what Mercedes calls a “lounge-like space,” with open pore walnut wood, metal, glass and Plexiglass surfaces. The focal point of the interior are the four rotating seats, upholstered in white nappa leather, that allow passengers to face each other when the car is in autonomous mode. To ease entry and egress, the seats can pivot outwards by 30 degrees when the doors are opened. Six large screens dot the cabin, operable by touch, gestures and eye movement.
Providing motive force is Mercedes’ F-Cell Plug-In Hybrid system, an electric drivetrain powered by either hydrogen (stored in pressurised carbon fibre tanks) or a battery. A pair of 136 hp/200 Nm electric motors send a grand total of 272 hp to the rear wheels, propelling the F 015 from 0-100 km/h in 6.7 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 200 km/h.
Fuel consumption is listed at just 0.6 kg of hydrogen per 100 km on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), the equivalent of two litres of diesel. All in all, the F 015 has a total range of 1,100 km, including 200 km on battery power alone.
Under the skin, the F 015 features a Smart Body Structure (SBS) combining carbon fibre, aluminium and high-strength steels, resulting in a bodyshell that is 40% lighter than a regular production body of today. It’s safe, too – a mechanical locking system fixes the doors firmly to the roof and side sills to compensate for the lack of B-pillar, while the Pre-Safe Structure in the doors inflate in a side impact to maximise protection.
Mercedes-Benz previously showcased autonomous driving in 2013, with the S 500 Intelligent Drive retracing the circa-100 km Mannheim-Pforzheim route taken by Karl Benz’s wife Bertha on the first long-distance automobile journey over 125 years ago.
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- F 015 Luxury In Motion
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This is just too futuristic
This is just too cool!
What so special? If you looking for hydrogen fuel car, we have Toyota Mirai, patents opened to public some more.
If you are amazed by its outlook and style? We saw plenty in Proton design contest.
Design is design, real car is real.
I feel the design is cool. thats it. That is your problem for not thinking it is cool. Dont put your mindset on me. Talk proton to someone else. Stupid
I believe this car made for 99% autonomous driving. The A-pillar is too big for manual driving.
weird, ugly, blunt..but i’m sure i’m going to eat my words in future.
this is just the beginning. soon there will be a car shape of banana, potato, cucumber..bread and refrigerator already quite a while. juara/alphard =)
lol…the looks is just a concept.what they want to highlight is their technology
Errr, which end is the front??
No B pillars? Looks kinda cool though.
If given a choice, I would prefer a car that has a controller, just in case… you know?
Not that I could afford it anyway.
Length, width & wheelbase are okay. The height has to be at least 1700mm.
The seats look good (Italian style?); I would prefer proper sofa style which provides good supports for forearms and shoulders.
What about supports for legs and head/neck like those in Alphard?
The leg room is not that fantastic if first and second rows face each other, I don’t like people’s legs to touch mine.
Well, the white interior and sunroof do give the impression of spaciousness and airy feel. Like it.
Panoramic sunroof in a luxurious vehicle is equivalent to a swimming pool in a luxurious detached house/bungalow.
I wish you all the best; hope you buy your detached house with cash, one day.
I hope one of the biggest changes in the future in terms of ergonomics would be to get rid of b-pillars and incorporate suicide doors. Hopefully side impact protection will still be adequate as well.
B-pillar somehow plays very important role. It is the only thing to protect from side crash. unless the door is solid like rock until cannot bend then only can be trusted.
but then again, its too risk.
weird and ugly looking car. Iriz is miles better looking than this….pttuiiii!!!!!
The interior look great. Futuristic, yet elegant and classy.
The exterior on the other hand, the back and front is passable, but yeah the side profile is horrendous. They should have restyled the A-pillar by either making it narrower, add a glass panel between it and the front door or just lower so it’s much steeper.
For now it looks more like a squashed luxury van than a sedan the Merc is famous for.
This design… too early too soon for now.
Can’t appreciate it yet.
I will probably need to buy a metallic suit just to go with the car.