Mercedes-Benz F-Series Research Vehicles

Technology once seen only on Mercedes-Benz research vehicles can now be found on today's Mercedes production models

From the very beginning, when Carl Benz invented the world’s first motorcar, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1886, and even today, Mercedes-Benz has maintained a legacy of inventive genius. This can be seen in many if not all of the Mercedes-Benz production models of today. Play the video below for an in-depth look at the journey of the F-Series research vehicles or check out the gallery below and find out what technologies each vehicle provided for the models of today.

Mercedes-Benz F100 Research Vehicle

Mercedes-Benz F100 Research Vehicle

Back as 1991, the first car of the “F” series, the F 100, introduced what was at the time revolutionary concepts – concepts like voice control, autonomous intelligent cruise control and distance radar – these are all technologies that are now in series production.

Mercedes-Benz F200 Imagination

Mercedes-Benz F200 Imagination

When the Mercedes-Benz F 200 Imagination arrived in 1996, it featured a revolutionary step in design, in addition to Active Body Control (ABC)  advancements that offered increased stability. Additional innovations on the Mercedes F 200 included doors that opened automatically with a magnetic card (the forerunner of today’s Keyless-Go system), side airbags, windowbags (another present-day feature) and the Active Light function that’s also available today.

Mercedes-Benz F400

Mercedes-Benz F400

Then, in 2001, the Mercedes F 400 Carving was designed to significantly improve driving dynamics with the Active Tire Tilt Control (ATTC) system.  It was created by adjusting the camber angle of both the front and rear wheels when cornering or during hard braking.

Mercedes-Benz F500

Mercedes-Benz F500

Hybrid technology was introduced in later models like the Hybrid F 500 Mind.  In addition to taking the first steps in hybrid technology, it also featured innovations such as Night View Assist, a system that operates using infrared headlamps for improved visibility at night. Today this concept is a reality in the E- and S-Class models.

Mercedes-Benz F600

Mercedes-Benz F600

In 2006, the Mercedes-Benz F 600 Hygenius marked the introduction of an environmentally friendly fuel-cell hybrid drive vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz F700

Mercedes-Benz F700

It was followed shortly after in 2007 with the F 700 that featured the revolutionary DIESOTTO engine.  The DIESOTTO engine was made noteworthy by combining the advantages of low-emission combustion engines with the consumption benefits of a diesel engine.

Mercedes-Benz F800

Mercedes-Benz F800

The Mercedes F 800 Style paved the way for new design styling in 2008 with its coupé-like characteristics. It also featured an innovative new multi-drive platform, a new display concept – Cam-Touch-Pad HMI (Human Machine Interface), and the current PRE-SAFE® 360° system which offers extra protection in the event of a rear end collision.

Mercedes-Benz F125

Mercedes-Benz F125

More recently in 2011, we saw the arrival of Mercedes-Benz’s most recent research vehicle, the F 125! It was the world’s introduction to emission-free driving in the luxury segment. The Mercedes flagship vehicle represented a radical reinterpretation of a sports saloon, blending futuristic lightweight materials with experimental operating concepts, innovative drive technology and a breathtaking new design direction. Via: Mercedes-Benz UK

Mercedes-Benz F125! Research Vehicle Technology

The environmentally responsible Mercedes-Benz F125! is capable of handling any traffic situation with zero-emissions

With its four powerful, wheel-mounted electric motors the Mercedes-Benz F 125! Research Vehicle is a particularly dynamic demonstration of the principle “fascination and responsibility”. Thanks to very generous performance reserves it copes effortlessly with any traffic situation – with no emissions whatsoever.

With its electric drive system based on highly advanced Mercedes-Benz fuel cell technology, the F 125! ensures particularly satisfying and sustained driving pleasure. The electric power for the motors is generated on board by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, or obtained from the efficient recuperation of braking energy. The only emission resulting from the chemical reaction is pure water vapour. Total operating range is at the same level as a modern diesel car. The high performance potential of the electric drive components in the F 125! once again demonstrate the versatility of the highly scalable, modular E-Drive system from Mercedes-Benz.

Intelligently conceived vehicle architecture

In the new Mercedes-Benz research vehicle, the fuel cell stack is centrally located under the bonnet at the front, while the compact electric motors are installed near the wheels in the front and rear axle areas. The composite hydrogen reservoir in the area of the centre tunnel, between the front seats and the floor assembly, has a capacity of around 7.5 kilograms and is ideally protected against the consequences of accidents.

Metal Organic Frameworks: the hydrogen reservoir of the future

Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are porous solid bodies which consist of numerous, always identical basic components and can be very variably put together on a modular basis. They are made up of nodal points known as Structural Building Units (SBUs). The connecting elements between these nodal points are formed by organic molecules known as Linkers. This structural principle allows solid bodies with extremely large specific surface areas, which in turn provides the basis for an enormous hydrogen storage capacity.

High storage capacity with low volume and great flexibility

Gigantic “inner” surfaces of up to 10,000 sq. m. per gram – the current status of research – make MOFs attractive for numerous applications: they are suitable as gas cleaners for fuel cells, for example, and also – as envisaged for the F125! – as a storage medium for gases, in this case hydrogen. MOFs can be used as pressurised containers (30-80 bar), but for a higher storage density also as low temperature tanks at 77 K (around -196 degrees Celsius), i.e. considerably above the 20 K boiling point of hydrogen. These attributes and the fundamental variability of the MOF’s shape allow an installation position suited to the vehicle requirements. This means that future MOFs can be flexibly installed in the body structure. Key advantages of this solution:

  • Less installation space thanks to better adaptability means more scope for packaging and more room for the occupants.
  • The low installed position is conducive to a low centre of gravity, with a positive effect on handling and driving dynamics.
  • Full integration into the bodyshell structure ensures the best possible crash and operating safety.

Lithium-sulphur battery with a high energy density

The lithium-sulphur battery installed behind the rear seats has a storage capacity of 10 kWh. It can be inductively charged at “intelligent” charging stations, and the convenient charging process can be monitored and controlled using a smartphone. The principal advantage of lithium-sulphur technology, whose usability in vehicles still requires further research, is the high specific energy density of the cells. Compared to current batteries this allows relatively compact but highly efficient energy storage. When designing the F 125!, the developers worked on the assumption that by the time of its introduction into series production, this battery type will be capable of energy densities up to 350 Wh per kg. This would represent roughly a doubling of current performance. The real potentials of this technology are however the subject of basic research, and are still difficult to assess at present.

All in all, the F 125! represents a further, important step towards the market maturity of a fuel cell powered car in the luxury class. With this research vehicle, Mercedes-Benz is demonstrating completely new future ways to design large and luxurious automobiles that are marketable, environmentally friendly and socially compatible.

Touring saloon with sports car genes

The use of four electric motors has a number of advantages in terms of driving dynamics. Mercedes-Benz has already delivered an impressive demonstration of the performance potential residing in this e4MATIC design with the battery-electric SLS AMG E-CELL super sports car, whose rear-end module was developed further for the F 125!. The new front axle design provides a visionary outlook on the integration of electric drive systems into the front axle. The chosen positioning of the drive components allows optimal weight distribution, and also – thanks to active torque vectoring – the need-related assignment of power to each individual wheel.

Apart from ensuring optimal traction at all times, the electronic all-wheel drive with its wheel-specific yaw-damping improves handling stability at high speeds. During brisk cornering, however, wheel-specific intervention allows a metered increase in the yaw rate with an improved steering response and less steering effort. This drive configuration also allows highly efficient energy recuperation at each wheel, cross-wind stabilisation, avoidance of load-change responses and therefore even more controllable handling when cornering, without the need for ASR (acceleration skid control) intervention.

Ride comfort at the highest level

110 years after the invention of the modern passenger car, the Mercedes Simplex of 1901, Mercedes-Benz is once again presenting a trailblazing, visionary vehicle concept – this time in the form of a sporty and comfortable touring saloon with an emission-free F-CELL Plug-in HYBRID system. The concept anticipates future technological trends, with a vehicle architecture to suit.

The F 125! is the first electric car to feature an air suspension and continuous damper adjustment. The result is an optimal balance between ride comfort, driving dynamics and use of energy. The system also allows the vehicle’s suspension height to be adjusted as a function of speed and vehicle status – e.g. to improve the aerodynamics at fast motorway speeds.

Optimal traction and driving dynamics are ensured by active torque vectoring at the front and rear axles. The single-stage gears at the front and rear axles accelerate the vehicle comfortably and without interruptions in tractive power, right up to the top speed. One technical highlight of the suspension system is special compensation of drive moments in the front axle, which almost entirely eliminates drive and recuperation influences on the steering, and noticeably reduces pitching.

Mercedes-Benz F125! Concept Revealed at Frankfurt Motor Show

Mercedes-Benz F125 concept receives power from a hydrogen fuel-cell and averages 105 mpg

The 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show beginning September 15 will not only be used to introduce next generation models, it will also offer us all a glimpse into the future of the automobile.

At this year’s motor show, Mercedes-Benz is showing us what the future may hold for the 2025 S-Class, and they’ve named it the F125!.

The sweeping roofline has transformed the three-box S-Class into a model more closely resembling a coupe. Gorden Wagener, Mercedes-Benz Design Chief, is quick to point out that “it’s a further developed sedan shape” – with seating for four and a 470-liter boot.

A six-bar grille at the front and sharply defined creases that are clearly reminiscent of the current Mercedes CLS are the only clues that the F125 Concept is a Mercedes-Benz.  Unlike the current model’s conventional four-door set-up, access to the front and rear seats is through a pair of elongated gullwing doors.

On the inside, the design stays true to Mercedes-Benz – luxurious and spacious while still being modern and simple. The front passenger seat can be folded away into the footwell to allow one of the rear seats to recline and lie flat. Most of the major controls are activated through gestures so drivers can point a thumb to the left or right for the indicators or swipe a hand to the right to activate the windscreen wipers.

Lightweight construction, using carbon fiber reinforced plastic and aluminium, means the F125 only weighs 1,700kg (3,747 lbs). That’s around 300kg less than the current model.

The F 125! is driven by F-CELL plug-in HYBRID technology, consisting of a further-developed fuel cell and a high-performance lithium-sulfur high-voltage battery. Energy storage is provided by a completely new kind of hydrogen tank that is integrated directly into the bodyshell structure.  Using this set-up, 7.5kg of hydrogen can be stored – enough for a range of around 620 miles. Fuel economy is estimated at 105 mpg with a speedy sprint from 0-62 mph in under five seconds.

“When it comes to the drive, there is one figure to note – one thousand. That is the distance in kilometers that you can drive on electricity alone without stopping to refuel,” says Dr. Dieter Zetsche. “And with four electric motors close to the wheels and a peak output of 313 hp, there’s no shortage of fun.”  Thanks to intelligent lightweight design with a high proportion of carbon-fiber, the four-seater offers refined performance coupled with exceptional comfort. The display, control and communication concepts are also completely new developments. Dr. Dieter Zetsche once more, “You could say that the F 125! is a smartphone you can sit in.”