Driverless Mercedes-Benz concept car, F015, makes waves in San Francisco
10 Mar 2015
A driverless Mercedes-Benz concept car, the F015, is also a "virtual living room," according to Entrepreneur magazine and true to the top-drawer luxury that Mercedes offered, it also comes with plenty of perks such as nappa leather, walnut veneer, and blue LED lighting.
The futuristic vehicle is powered by a hybrid electric fuel cell with the range of 900 kilometers, or about 559 miles, and a battery with a range of about 200 kilometers, or about 124 miles. The uniquely designed luxury car comes equipped with cameras, sensors and displays for monitoring the road.
The interior houses four swiveling lounge chairs that served as Mercedes' ideal basis for impact-protected comfort. The self-driving car's door concept also allowed getting in and out of the vehicle easy, while the seating allowed passengers to have face-to-face conversation with relative ease.
"Anyone who focuses solely on the technology has not yet grasped how autonomous driving will change our society," Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz cars, said in promotional materials for the vehicle. "The car is growing beyond its role as a mere means of transport and will ultimately become a mobile living space."
The concept car, which was seen on the streets of San Francisco, went viral on social networks such as Reddit and one observer tweeted that the vehicle was "some kind of...promo," while another observed that the concept car was "blowing everyone's mind."
San Francisco residents say they saw the F015 driving itself and according to promotional materials for the F015, Zetsche predicted that driverless cars would "change our society." He added, it would not only be a means of transport, but would also function as a "mobile living space."
The concept car from Mercedes-Benz was not available for public viewing and if it had made it to the assembly line, its exact specs remained unclear.
From the responses in San Francisco, it seemed there would be a strong demand for it.