Mercedes-Benz Shows Off Ener-G-Force Concept Vehicle

Mercedes-Benz recently participated in a design challenge called the Los Angeles Design Challenge 2012. The goal of the design channel was to design a Highway Patrol vehicle for 2025. Apparently, Mercedes-Benz's idea of the future is more than a little post-apocalyptic because its concept vehicle for the design competition is a massive off-road 4 x 4.

The vehicle is called the Ener-G-Force and Mercedes says that the vehicle is designed for crowded roads with electronically monitored and guided traffic, a much larger population, and to deal with changes in human behavior. Mercedes figures that outdoor activities will dominate leisure time and therefore, a vehicle for police officers capable of traveling across all surfaces will be needed.

I don't know about all that, what I do know is that the concept car is very cool. The concept car was inspired by the G-Class. The concept has a three-panel greenhouse with lines that reminded the classic G-Class. It rides on 20-inch wheels and looks sort of like a futuristic off-road racing truck.

In the rear of the vehicle is a pullout toolbox designed to hold a variety of equipment without having to open the entire tailgate. The concept stores recycled water in tanks on the roof and transfers the water to a "hydro-tech converter" where natural and renewable resources are converted into hydrogen to operate fuel cells that power the vehicle. The car has four electric motors with one in each wheel. The odds of this ever making it to production are virtually nonexistent, but it's always cool to see an interesting concept car.