Mercedes-Benz Bionic Car on Exhibition in New York
Next time you are in New York, be sure to stop by the Museum of Modern Art. A new exhibit called “Design and the Elastic Mind” focuses on the rapid advances of the modern world. The bionic car is one of the highlighted pieces in the exhibition.
Mercedes introduced the bionic car prototype at the Innovation Symposium in June 2005. The vehicle’s design is based on the tropical boxfish, which is known for its unusual and highly aerodynamic shape. The boxfish is surprisingly hardy, easily withstanding both high pressure and underwater collisions with coral due to its unique bone plate skeleton and outer skin.
The bionic car incorporates many of the boxfish’s elements to reduce weight and heft while maximizing safety and performance. A computer simulator was used in its design, applying the natural principles of the boxfish to each part of the car’s design.
The result was a car that remains to this day a benchmark for aerodynamics. The vehicle’s 140 hp clean-burning diesel engine provides an astonishing 70 mile per gallon fuel economy. When driven at a constant speed along a straightaway, fuel consumption drops to a startling 84 mpg.
Although tiny, the bionic car is surprisingly roomy, featuring four comfortable, individual seats with plenty of leg room. The vehicle’s dimensions are only 4.24 meters long, 1.82 meters wide and 1.59 meters high. The aerodynamic shape offers a drag coefficient of only 0.19.
Though the bionic car is merely a prototype, elements of its design have been used in production Mercedes vehicles. The emissions control system, known as BLUETEC, has been in place in commercial Mercedes since 2005. It was introduced to the passenger vehicle market in the E-Class of 2006 and is being introduced in new Mercedes vehicles this year.
So next time you are in New York City be sure to stop by MOMA to have a look at the bionic car for yourself. In the meantime, why not come by our convenient local dealership to discover the innovations that are currently in production in Mercedes-Benz vehicles?
Filed Under: Mercedes-Benz Vehicles
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