The Highway Patrol Mercedes of America's Future

When we were children, the year 2025 seemed like a distant future. Cars flew, people wore sleek silver outfits, and moved on moving walkways enclosed in transparent tubes. Despite the fact that we would experience it ourselves, it was too "far future" to imagine anything beyond a fantastical and vague "vision of the future."

It's already been 11 years into the 21st century. Now, as this year draws to a close, the future of 2025 is no longer a distant prospect. It's a tangible, "very near future" that will arrive in just 12 years and one month.

As the year 2012 draws to a close, the "Design Challenge," an annual contest, was held at the "Los Angeles Auto Show 2012." Each year, manufacturers design "future cars" based on various themes. For example, past themes included "Future Cars Appearing in Hollywood Movies" in 2011, "Cars Weighing 1000 Pounds" in 2010, and "Youth Cars of 2030" in 2009.

This year, 2012, the theme is "Highway Patrol Car of 2025." One might speculate that the theme was inspired by the "Spinner," the police car from the film "Blade Runner," which is also set in 2025.

Mercedes-Benz's entry for this "Design Challenge" is a large four-wheel-drive police car called the "Ener-G-Force." Notably, while other manufacturers submitted only design illustrations or CGs, Mercedes-Benz participated by creating a full-scale concept car.


As the illustration shows, the "Ener-G-Force" is a very large SUV. Its design is inspired by the company's SUV,G-Classwhich first appeared in the 1970s and remains highly popular today. It's quite bold to reference the oldest model in the current Mercedes-Benz lineup when designing a future car.

The envisioned powertrain is a hydrogen engine, meaning it's a fuel-cell vehicle running on hydrogen. The battery pack is housed in the steps and floor area beneath the vehicle for easy replacement. A water tank on the roof collects rainwater, which is then used to produce hydrogen fuel. The maximum cruising range is stated as 500 miles (800 km), but it might be able to run semi-indefinitely as long as it rains.

It also features a system called "Terrain Scan." This system uses all-around sensors mounted on the vehicle to scan the road conditions, analyzes this data, and automatically adjusts settings such as the damper's damping force. While details of the tire size are not specified, the wheels are 20 inches. The ample ground clearance suggests excellent off-road capability.

2025 is not a distant future. It's only "12 years" away. We hope that the cars that will be driving on our streets then will have such inspiring designs and functions, and will be kind to the planet.