At present it may be a design study, but there’s a strong chance that the Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force concept is offering us a preview of the firm’s future off-road offerings and possibly the replacement for the long-serving G-Class.
Conceived as part of the Los Angeles Motor Show Auto Design Challenge next week, the Ener-G-Force concept has been kitted out as a Highway Patrol and emergency support vehicle for 2025. The small window apertures are meant to help law officers to remain cocooned from potential dangers, while the roof-mounted emergency lights give the Energ-G-Force genuine day/night operating capability. In addition, the spare wheel cover is actually a pull-out compartment that allows quick access to a variety of tools in an emergency scenario.
Both the emergency services and civilian spinoffs of the Ener-G-Force draw their inspiration from the rugged G-Class – Mercedes’ most capable off-road model that has been in circulation since 1979.
According to Gorden Wagener, Director of Design at Mercedes-Benz Cars: “The Ener-G-Force is the vision of an off-roader that, while reflecting tomorrow’s adventures, also invokes the genes of the Mercedes-Benz off-road icon, the G-Class. Modern and cool, it could also be a clue about a new beginning for the off-road design idiom of Mercedes-Benz”.
As its name suggests, the Ener-G-Force plays host to an innovative and environmentally friendly propulsion system. Recycled water stored in roof-mounted tanks is transferred to a “hydro-tech converter” that, through a process of water electrolysis, produces hydrogen which is stored in side skirt-mounted storage tanks. The hydrogen is then run through another process that produces electricity for the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries which, in turn, power a set of electric motors located in the hub of each wheel. According to Mercedes, the only emissions would be water vapour.
Much like Land Rover’s DC100 concepts, the Ener-G-Force is another example of a manufacturer drawing upon an iconic, rugged utility vehicle in a bid to produce a range of leisure and pure utility-oriented models. There are strong suggestions that the production Ener-G-Force line-up could, like the DC100, spawn luxury, leisure and utility offshoots.
