Autoblog

BTW: Subaru's SHARC won the 2012 Design Challenge

George Kennedy — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:31:00 EST

Part of the festivities that encompass the LA Auto Show is the annual LA Design Challenge. This year's winner was the Subaru Highway Automated Response Concept, or SHARC. It envisioned automated, zero-emission highway patrolling.

The 2012 edition of the challenge was to envision the future of highway patrol in the year 2025. The goal was to conceptualize a vehicle that would account for the needs of "dynamic urban environments." In addition to Subaru's participation in the contest BMW, General Motors, Honda and Mercedes-Benz, all took part in the challenge.

The SHARC is essentially a law enforcement land-drone. It is entirely automated and runs on renewable energy. Subaru envisioned a future where the Hawaiian Islands are connected to each other by a large highway system. Such an expansive area would require considerable manpower to patrol. The concept of an autonomous patrol vehicle would eliminate the need for a good number of full-time personnel.

Given the proliferation of UAVs and the ongoing development of autonomous cars, this notion of an automated patrol vehicle could be a reality in years to come. For this vision of the future, Subaru was awarded as the 2012 LA Design Challenger winner. To read more about the contest, check out the press release below.

Continue reading BTW: Subaru's SHARC won the 2012 Design Challenge

BTW: Subaru's SHARC won the 2012 Design Challenge originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

LA Design Challenge entrants take CHiPs to 2025

Jeffrey N. Ross — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:44:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Design/Style

This year's theme for the LA Design Challenge was announced back in September and focuses on creating a "Highway Patrol Vehicle 2025," and with the Jon and Ponch long into retirement, we get our first glimpse of what a CHiPs of the future might look like. BMW, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Subaru have all accepted the challenge, and each has released an entrant for the annual design competition with the winner being announced on November 29 during the LA Auto Show.

Entrants range from unmanned drones to vehicles that we could actually picture on the roads in the near future. In this latter category is the Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force, which is designed around a future G-Class SUV, but even though all of these are just design studies, Mercedes-Benz has already taken its drawing to the next level by building a proposed civilian version of the concept that will be on display next week at the auto show.

As fans of cheesy '80s TV shows, Honda's Tokyo design team won us over with the Traffic Crawler, a hydrogen-powered three-wheeled motorcycle (that even wears the "7 Mary 3" call sign belonging to Officer Jon Baker from CHiPs), but you can check out all six of the entrants for yourself below, and then let us know which is your favorite in the poll.

View Poll

Continue reading LA Design Challenge entrants take CHiPs to 2025

LA Design Challenge entrants take CHiPs to 2025 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force concept is a G-Class for the future

Jeffrey N. Ross — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, SUV, Mercedes-Benz, Design/Style, Electric

Looking to create an entrant for this year's LA Design Challenge, Mercedes-Benz came up with the Ener-G-Force to fit the theme of Highway Patrol Vehicle 2025. Mercedes-Benz says that the styling of the Ener-G-Force builds on many cues from the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and like the original G-Wagen introduced in 1979 as a civilian version of a military vehicle, it didn't take much imagination to envision a civilian version of the Ener-G-Force. Of course, it wouldn't be a futuristic concept vehicle without some sort of advanced powertrain, and the concept unveiled today delivers on this front as well.

From a design standpoint, the Ener-G-Force infuses many elements seen on the G-Class but with a much more modern interpretation giving it a new, yet recognizable appearance. These cues include the sunk-in headlights, turn signals/running lights mounted atop the front fenders, the long, flat roofline and the low, rectangular taillights, but the Ener-G-Force ditches the G-Class' boxy lines in favor of a more rounded shape.

One of the interesting elements of the concept is the roof rack. While it looks like a cargo rack that could be used for a safari, it is actually a way for the vehicle to collect water to store in tanks to then be transferred to a converter that creates hydrogen to power the fuel cells. The batteries for this system are built into the rocker panels, and the hypothetical range for this conceptual system is 500 miles of zero-emission driving. For off-roading purposes, the system uses four independent motors at each wheel and a roof-mounted scanner that adjusts the suspension to best fit the road conditions and terrain.

The Ener-G-Force was one of six entrants for the 2012 LA Design Challenge, and the winning design will be announced on November 29 as a part of the LA Auto Show. Scroll down to read more about the Ener-G-Force in a press release from Mercedes-Benz.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force concept is a G-Class for the future

Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force concept is a G-Class for the future originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments