If you have always wanted a chauffeur, the time may be coming where all car owners have one in their driveway. Automated cars are no longer science fiction. Often at the forefront of design and technology, Mercedes is leading this trend with its F 015 Luxury in Motion car. This elegant ride will make you wish the future would hurry up and get here.
Chauffeur on Call
In this Mercedes, the driver doesn’t have to drive, but he or she can. The F 015 dashboard has a steering wheel, but the human can cede the job to the machine and turn away from the road. The wheel will recede into the dash to maximize space. Needless to say, this chauffeur is available day or night.
Lounging Around
In this futuristic car, four bucket seats turn toward one another in a living room arrangement. No one has to face the street because none of the humans are driving. There’s plenty of wiggle room. Also, you’ll find all of the slick amenities you’d expect from Mercedes. It’s easy to imagine how useful this travel would be. Coworkers could have meetings in the car on the way to see clients, parents could interact with children rather than focus on driving, kids could get last-minute help on their homework on the way to school, carpoolers could read the news or catch up on office gossip and drivers can doze off just like the rest of the occupants. It would change personal travel as we know it.
Tune Out
Don’t want to talk? The Mercedes F 015 lounge arrangement also includes a variety of screens. Displays are on the doors and on the rear wall. Relieved of serious duty, the driver could enjoy onboard entertainment just as passengers do now. The kids could watch shows while parents enjoyed their own favorites.
Go Further
The F 015 research prototype is 100 percent electric with a hydrogen fuel cell battery. Researchers are projecting that it would have a 900-kilometer range. That’s 559 miles. If it comes to market, it would certainly eliminate typical concerns over electric car range. For that matter, are there any conventional vehicles that can beat that?
How fast can we expect a real Mercedes to look and drive like the F 015? Ten years is a good estimate. In fact, at the rate that automotive technology is changing, it may be even sooner.