AUTONOMOUS
car technology is now so far along that some auto executives have said
they expect a completely self-driving car — one that requires no human
intervention — to appear in public use within five years.
But
what kind of car will we want once no manual driving is necessary? At a
defunct naval base here this week, the luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz
put on a display of how it sees that future, in 2030 and beyond, with
test runs of its F 015 concept car.
With
the F 015, Mercedes-Benz isn’t preoccupied with the technology required
to make the car drive itself — technology that Elon Musk, the Tesla
Motors chief, recently described as a “solved problem.”
Mercedes-Benz
has already demonstrated slightly more down-to-earth self-driving
prototypes like the S 500 Intelligent Drive concept, which in 2013
autonomously completed a 62-mile route involving complex urban driving
situations like traffic lights and roundabouts. The company has also
offered a vision of commercial trucks that drive themselves.
The
F 015 it demonstrated this week wasn’t even equipped with self-driving
technology, like the lasers and computers the car would need to be
actually autonomous. It drove passengers on a preprogrammed route,
framed by San Francisco in the distance and towering cranes at the Port
of Oakland.
Instead,
the focus was on the experience of riding in an autonomous car.
Mercedes thinks that experience centers on a living space shielded from
the distractions and the masses of the outside world.
And yes, it is luxurious car.
The
vehicle’s carriage-style design features saloon doors that open wide to
reveal an interior that’s more like a living room than the inside of a
car. There are no side pillars or center obstructions. The two front
seats swivel around completely so the driver and front-seat passenger
can face the rear of the car.
The
interior features a mix of wood, carpet and touch-enabled panels that
blend together into an environment Mercedes-Benz rightly describes as a
“cocoon.” When both front seats are turned around, back-seat passengers
can activate a touch-screen table that extends into the middle of the
cabin and can be used by all passengers.
Still,
the effect of being driven by a car is slightly disorienting. Since you
can’t see any steering mechanisms, you can’t anticipate which way the
car is going to move next, and each speed change comes as a mild
surprise. For some, it could well lead to car sickness.
Somehow,
though, having a person in the driver’s seat face you while the car is
moving is slightly less disturbing than watching someone refuse to put
his hands on the wheel.
In
this concept vehicle, any passenger could theoretically drive. When in
manual mode, the car is operated with pedals and a steering wheel, just
like a traditional car. But in autonomous mode, it’s meant to be
controlled with touch interfaces — there are few physical buttons —
gestures and even eye-tracking.
The
touch-screen panels let any passenger request control of the car and
then adjust the car’s speed and dynamics (sort of like switching from
standard to “sport” mode) by dragging a little image of the car to speed
up or slow down.
The
screens also display features like points of interest along your route,
or location-based information about your friends. The future vehicle
has access to your contacts, and if your contacts are sharing their
locations, a friend’s face might pop up in the interior display if
they’re near where you’re driving.
You
can project any image you like onto the screens, and then rotate it
using touch. Mercedes designers sketched a vision of a long, boring
commute where you could entertain yourself with pictures of your family,
a nicer landscape or photos of a recent vacation.
Seems pleasant enough. Ultimately, though, the F 015’s vision is a bit confused.
The
vehicle might be perfect as a high-end taxi or a shared vehicle. One of
the predictions for a future shaped by self-driving cars is that we
will require far fewer of them, because the cars can autonomously pick
up passengers, like a giant robotic fleet.
The
F 015, if not designed to be a personal car, fits the bill. It’s
extremely large, although the sloping roof of the car is low. Our German
tour guide, who stood well over 6 feet, was jammed uncomfortably
against the ceiling. And many details, like the table in the center and
the shareable display panels, seemed designed for transporting multiple
people.
But
its message of privileged privacy was equally strong. A concept video
showed a well-turned-out white male summoning the car from his
smartwatch, and then riding alone in it through a mostly deserted but
beautiful city. This seems like way too much car for that sort of use.
As for its exterior design concept, it’s actually a bit too
futuristic. Many of the technologies Mercedes-Benz imagines inside the F
015 either exist already or aren’t far away. Yet the vehicle itself
looks like a set piece from a sci-fi thriller like “I, Robot,” and its
extreme design makes it hard to take seriously.
The
front and rear panels of the car are lighted with multicolored LEDs —
in the front, they glow blue when the car is in autonomous mode, and
they are programmed to signal to pedestrians at crosswalks. The car will
even speak aloud to a pedestrian to say it’s safe to cross.
And
the vehicle is cast in the shiniest of silver aluminum, so shiny it
causes physical pain when the sun glances off it. The narrow windows are
coated with mottled silver screens, so no one can see inside (privacy
is a luxury, after all). Those narrow windows limit the views out of the
car, too, though.
Over
all, the effect of the exterior design is alien, and gives the
impression that Mercedes-Benz might be looking too far ahead. The
company has always had a far-reaching technological vision, pioneering
technologies like anti-lock brakes, electronic stability controls and
the “crumple zone” that protects passengers in accidents.
But
with the F 015, the company presents an interesting technology and
design showcase that doesn’t feel connected to the real world, which
already holds exciting promise for self-driving cars. The company
described the car as a vision for “the day after tomorrow.” But what
about today?
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