14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz cut the ribbon on a new research and development center in Beijing, China's capital city. During this event, the automaker introduced the world to a concept car that's bound to turn a few heads, possibly all the way around.
The concept car, pictured next to this article and also featured in the video below, goes by the name G-Code. It's nothing short of drop dead gorgeous, and even better, totally eco-friendly. Apparently, Mercedes-Benz is now looking to appeal to greenheads as well.
So, what makes this car eco-friendly?
By the looks of it, the German automobile manufacturer imagines this environmentally friendly vehicle being powered by its very own anatomical parts. Otherwise put, Mercedes-Benz imagines the G-Code acting as one big solar panel.
Mind you, this does not mean that the G-Code's body is made up of solar panels like the ones many now use to power their homes. No, Sir. This concept car owes its ability to generate enough power to keep up and running the so-called multi-voltaic paint covering its body almost entirely.
Thus, Mercedes-Benz explains that its concept car produces energy simply by having solar rays hit its body. Besides, the G-Code can harvest energy from the suspension and even from winds hitting it when stationary or moving. Pretty cool, right?
The automaker imagines the car as having both a hydrogen combustion engine in charge of driving the front wheels and an electric motor designed to drive the rear axle. Needless to say, the person behind the wheel will get to pick and choose which of these to use, depending on road conditions.
“Depending on the selected mode, the G-Code can operate as a front-wheel drive vehicle powered solely by the combustion engine, as an all-electric rear-wheel drive vehicle or fully variable in all-wheel drive mode,” Mercedes-Benz explains.
Other things you might want to know
Mercedes Benz's four-door G-Code concept car measures 4.1 meters (roughly 13.4 feet) in length and 1.9 meters (some 6.2 feet) in width. As far as height goes, the vehicle is said to stand just 1.5 meters (approximately 4.9 feet) tall.
As you've probably noticed, the vehicle has a light display at the front. This display glows blue when the car is stationary, purple when the person behind the wheel is just driving around minding their own business, and red when the vehicle enters sports mode.
The car's interior is made of anti-dirt fabrics and sensors constantly keep tabs on air quality inside the car. Should circumstances demand for it, the vehicle is even ready to pump some oxygen inside and thus make sure passengers never go without a breath of fresh air.
The bad news is that, for the time being, Mercedes-Benz hasn't made any plans to actually start building such a state-of-the-art car. Then again, maybe some of the ideas included in this design will be incorporated into several other models.
