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(from Mercedes-Benz
Press Release) Los Angeles Design Challenge 2012 and more:
Ener-G-Force – off-road for tomorrow
Stuttgart – Is it possible that the Mercedes-Benz G-Class will still
be around in 2025? A cool design study from Mercedes-Benz
demonstrates how the genes of the classic off-roader from 1979 may
still assert themselves in the far future. It is based on the
concept of a future police car developed for the Los Angeles Design
Challenge.
The Los Angeles Design
Challenge 2012 looks far ahead with a quest for the “Highway Patrol
Vehicle 2025”. Law enforcement will have to prepare for even more
crowded roads with electronically monitored and guided traffic, a
much larger population and changes in human behaviour. People will
feel young and active until even later in life. Outdoor activities
will dominate leisure, the desire for freedom and adventure. The new
times will also call for new police vehicles. They must be able to
reach any place conceivable quickly and reliably – even far away
from any pavement. And they must do so in an exceptionally
environmentally friendly way using alternative energy sources.
Enhanced green-car characteristics and off-road capabilities will be
among the fundamental virtues of a police car in 2025.
As an environmentally friendly SUV, the Ener-G-Force, which
Mercedes-Benz is presenting in Los Angeles as a design study, meets
these requirements and would be fully capable of supporting police
and emergency services in every corner of the world. Gorden Wagener,
Director of Design at Mercedes-Benz Cars: “The Ener-G-Force is the
vision of an off-roader that, while reflecting tomorrow’s
adventures, also invokes the genes of the Mercedes-Benz off-road
icon, the G model. Modern and cool, it could also be a clue about a
new beginning for the off-road design idiom of Mercedes-Benz”.
The small glass areas make the police vehicle a safe cocoon for law
enforcement officers who are faced with many dangers. Emergency
lights integrated into the roof ensure attention that is impossible
to ignore; the striking front leaves no doubt as to the commanding
presence of the police, and the gigantic wheels guarantee the right
of way even where no way exists.
Back from the future – clean
concept for beyond tomorrow
Of course the concept of
the Ener-G-Force for the Los Angeles Design Challenge is pure,
rendered science fiction. However, the notion of designing
tomorrow’s off-roader fascinated the designers at the Mercedes-Benz
Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad, California to such an extent
that they evolved the vision of a police version into a civilian
version and even built a 1:1-scale model. Like the “Highway Patrol
Vehicle 2025”, the shape of the civilian Ener-G-Force is modelled
after the G-Class, the off-road icon whose continuous history goes
all the way back to the 1970s and that to this very day still
tackles the future as a stylistically and technologically advanced
SUV.
Like the police version,
the model of the civilian Ener-G-Force is unmistakably inspired by
the G-Class, which has long been considered an automotive icon.
However, it presents a radical reinterpretation of this classic that
looks far into the future. Important genes such as proportions and
design elements were adopted conceptually and completely redesigned
and updated in a clean concept for beyond tomorrow. Ener-G-Force
Designer Hubert Lee: “Of course we wanted to take a clear step
forward, but we also wanted the G’s characteristic features”. The
Ener-G-Force has a similar profile, however with a high shoulder
line and scaled-down glass areas.
While the clear design
idiom of the G-Class has remained, all surfaces are designed to
express intensity and tension. The meticulously executed details
also are a clear indication that the Ener-G-Force is the product of
modern times. Like the G-Class, the Ener-G-Force sports a front with
an expressive radiator grille that incorporates the headlamps. LEDs
in the headlamps form lamp units in the shape of a G. This gives the
Ener-G-Force a strong, iconic appearance and demonstrates dominance.
The front indicators and position lights are mounted on top of the
wings as a significant G-Class element.
The mounted roof
distinctive to the G-Class and the tripartite glass area also cite
the fundamental genes of the classic off-roader from Mercedes-Benz,
but represent a clear step forward. This is also evident in the
large wheels, whose 20-inch rims give the Ener-G-Force a powerful,
towering stance. The Ener-G-Force also plays on the utility factor
in an entirely new way. For instance, the distinctive feature in the
rear is a slightly off-centre pull-out compartment whose cover takes
up the characteristic look of the spare wheel carrier of the classic
G-Class. This pull-out tool box can hold a wide variety of equipment
items that consequently are quickly in reach without having to open
the whole liftgate.
Bursting with energy
The Ener-G-Force stores
recycled water in tanks on the roof, and transfers it to the
“hydro-tech converter,” where natural and renewable resources are
converted into hydrogen for operating the fuel cells. The storage
units for the electricity generated in this process are housed
easily accessible in the striking side skirts. The Ener-G-Force
emits nothing but water, has an operating range of about 800
kilometres and as a result truly is a green car. Four wheel-hub
motors, whose output for each individual wheel is adapted precisely
to the respective terrain by high-performance electronics, provide
the pulling power. A “Terra-Scan” 360-degree topography scanner on
the roof permanently scans the surroundings and uses the results to
adjust the spring and damping rates as well as other suspension
parameters for maximum traction on the respective surface,
regardless of whether it is in terrain or on the road. The
strikingly styled side skirts house either the energy storage units
or hot-swappable battery packs. Changes in the colour of the
illumination of the side skirts indicate the operating and charge
status of the energy packs. A roof carrier and additional lamps are
integrated into the roof. The ensemble appears to have been carved
from a single piece. The overall package of this design model is a
clean thing – stylistically and functionally.
