The head of design at Mercedes-Benz says the growing trend of replacing side mirrors with cameras is “actually not a smart idea”.
Gorden Wagener, the chief design officer at the Stuttgart-based firm, told Autocar such systems “don’t make sense”, particularly on electric vehicles.
“These cameras are actually not a smart idea,” he said.
“First, a mirror gives you a direct response. Yes, they [smaller, camera-based systems] are more aerodynamically efficient, but they eat up so much power, especially on an electric car [that] from a view of [energy] consumption, they don’t make sense,” Wagener explained.
German rival firm Audi offers what it terms “virtual exterior mirrors” on its all-electric e-tron, claiming they help “reduce aerodynamic drag” and increase range “by around three kilometres”. The video feed from the cameras appear in the cabin on OLED displays located in the transition between the door and instrument panel, with the field of view “adjusting” to various driving situations.
Lexus offers such a system on the ES sedan in some markets, too, as does Koenigsegg on the Gemera. The Honda e is likewise available with virtual exterior mirrors.
