Mercedes has unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show a concept design it describes as the first car actually "grown" from seeds in a nursery, fitted to every wish of the driver, dpa reported.
Taking their inspiration from nature, the designers of the Mercedes BIOME see their concept as fully integrated into the ecosystem, from the moment of its creation right through to the end of its service life.
On the road the car emits pure oxygen, and at the end of its lifespan it can be simply composted or used as building material.
"As the inventor of the motor car, we wanted to illustrate the vision of the perfect vehicle of the future ... It grows and thrives like the leaves on a tree," according to Hubert Lee, Head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad.
The vehicle is made from an ultralight material called BioFibre and tips the scales at just 394 kilogrammes. The material is significantly lighter than metal or plastic, yet more robust than steel. BioFibre is grown from proprietary DNA in the Mercedes-Benz nursery, where it collects energy from the sun and stores it in a liquid chemical bond called BioNectar4534.
Without revealing much more detail, Mercedes said the car was powered by BioNectar4534, which is stored in the BioFibre material of the chassis, interior, and wheels. The car functions like a solar collector, designed to work like a leaf, and absorb solar energy while it is driving.
Mercedes "grown" from seeds in a nursery
Mercedes has unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show a concept design it describes as the first car actually "grown" from seeds in a nursery, fitted to every wish of the drive
