“The car is becoming a mobile living space”
With those eight words, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars demonstrated that he, and the company he heads is not afraid to redefine the automobile for the next century.
Referring specifically to their latest autonomous concept car, the Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion revealed yesterday at the CES show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dr. Zetsche went on to say, “Anyone who focuses solely on the technology has not yet grasped how autonomous driving will change our society. The car is growing beyond its role as a mere means of transport and will ultimately become a mobile living space.”
Part lounge, part car, and part robot, the F 015 is a stark departure from current autonomous concepts in that it’s primarily meant to operate in driverless mode. In that way, it almost has more in common with luxury trains of the past that today’s fleet of cars and trucks.
The first thing you’ll notice about the F 015 is the spacious interior with its variable seating system. Featuring four rotating lounge chairs that allow a face-to-face seat configuration, the driver and front-seat passenger can also turn towards the front to engage manual driving mode. When necessary, the steering wheel extends automatically from the dashboard. The electrically powered seats also swing outwards by 30 degrees as soon as the doors are opened to make getting in and out of the car easier.
The F 015’s unique shape is made possible thanks to the liberal use of new construction materials and techniques. Mercedes engineers have combined carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, aluminum and high-strength steels to make the bodyshell 40 percent lighter compared with today’s cars. The innovative saloon-door-style door system is unique in that the front and rear doors can be opened and closed independently. With an opening angle of 90 degrees for all doors and no B-pillar, the spacious interior can be easily accessed from either side.
The F 015 Luxury in Motion will be powered by an electric drive system with a hydrogen fuel cell, and combines on-board generation of electricity with an exceptionally powerful and compact high-voltage battery. Highly efficient with no emissions, this propulsion system is ideal for urban environments.
Autonomous driving is coming as has been demonstrated by Audi, BMW, Google and others. Mercedes-Benz takes that idea to the extreme to show how drivers can be relieved of work and stress in situations in which driving is not enjoyable. They’re betting that time and space will become the luxury of the future.
