Off-road Ener-G-Force Concept

Speaking of vehicles that beautiful, elegant and stunning, it can always be associated with Mercedes-Benz as one of the German automotive manufacturer that has been famous all over the world by the products of a quality vehicle. Look at the row of vehicles spread their products all over the world in many different types, but there are rarely produced by Mercedes-Benz, namely SUV variants that have off-road capabilities. But it is going to be closed when off-road vehicles concept from the Mercedes-Bens, Ener-G-Force was produced.

The Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force concept design. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

In 2012 LA Auto Show Design Challenge event offered a challenge for the vehicle's brand owner, or the automotive house with the theme "What highway patrol vehicles will look like in 2025?", and the winning design will be announced on November 29, 2012 as a part of the LA Auto Show.

Mercedes-Benz says its Ener-G-Force concept is environmentally friendly. (PIcture from: http://www.activityvehicle.com/)

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. (PIcture from: http://mercedes-benz-blog.blogspot.com/)

Mercedes-Benz has answered with the Ener-G-Force design concept and like the original G-Wagen introduced in 1979 as a civilian version of a military vehicle, it didn't take much imagination to envision a civilian version of the Ener-G-Force. Despite the brief, the company's North American R&D team hasn't totally abandoned the past in looking to the future however, conceiving a rugged, fuel-cell driven concept based on the G-Class that would produce its own hydrogen from water on the fly.

Designers from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in California have interpreted this brief with a concept vehicle that, while based on the classic G-Class, would cater for the increased congestion and energy-saving pressures that we can expect more than a decade from now ... as well as retaining some serious off-road capability.

Mercedes-Benz’s styling team is keen to point out the stylized “G” in the headlights of the Ener-G-Force concept. (PIcture from: http://www.activityvehicle.com/)

While the "G" shaped LED headlight points clearly to the heritage of this concept, the boxy shape of the G-Class has been well and truly buried beneath a series of pronounced curves, while the SUV's road presence is beefed-up by way of 20-inch rims shod with imposing chunks of rubber. The windows have been scaled-down to provide extra protection for law-enforcement personnel and an array of gadgetry, including emergency lights and a 360-degree topography scanner on the roof, dubbed “Terra-Scan.” Terra-Scan will scan the terrain, and adjust the suspension’s spring and damping rates to give the Ener-G-Force maximum traction wherever it goes.

The sleek lines continue at the rear where the spare-wheel compartment has been converted into a quick access tool box, but perhaps the most interesting idea floated here is not the design itself, but the electric drivetrain.

One of the interesting elements of the concept is the roof rack. While it looks like a cargo rack that could be used for a safari, it is actually a way for the vehicle to collect water to store in tanks to then be transferred to a converter (hydro-tech converter) that creates hydrogen to power the fuel cells. The energy generated by this system would be stored in "drawers" accessed through the side skirts which could alternatively house hot-swappable battery packs. The batteries for this system are built into the rocker panels, and the hypothetical range for this conceptual system is 500 miles (804 km) of zero-emission driving. The Ener-G-Force design employs four wheel-hub motors (four independent motors at each wheel) driven by fuel cells for off-roading purposes.

The Mercedes-Benz designers have built a 1:1-scale model of the concept and have also toyed with the idea of a civilian version. "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," says Gorden Wagener, Director of Design at Mercedes-Benz Cars. "Modern and cool, it could also be a clue about a new beginning for the off-road design idiom of Mercedes-Benz". Overall appearance of this car that looked so handsome and charming, making you going to not have the heart to use it in muddy or rocky road than looking and stroking it all day. *** [EKA | GIZMAG | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES]

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