Attention Vision AVTR! First of all, Daimler presented a CES 2020 keynote that envisioned a new interaction. One between humans, technology and nature. All with the help of “Avatar” director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau.
So we have seen technology and cars merging. Especially in the past few years. So as we look into the future the big thing is making sustainable mobility.
Källenius (Head of Mercedes) also referenced the movie Back to the Future with Vision AVTR. The movie which imagined traveling by flying cars and all by 2020. Though air taxis exist, they are far from standard transportation. However Källenius highlighted another transportation technology. One that has made progress and still continues to show potential: connectivity..
The Human to Car to Nature Connection
Cars have also evolved. All to tell you the status of your favorite sports team. Especially:
- the game they are playing
-
inform you of the weather at your destination as you travel
-
and soon even enable you to control your smart home from the road.
So the next step is truly intuitive gesture controls. I mean without us learning new gestures or signs. Then cars will be able to understand what drivers and passengers are looking for.
Meaning Vision AVTR will also include biometric data; further merging man and machine. Therefore to create a better transportation experience.
Källenius also has a vision for the future. One of sustainable, modern luxury vehicles, keeping in mind decreasing natural resources.
He added that we all understand the boundaries of our planet. However we don’t want to add new boundaries to mobility. In other words, fewer cars are not the solution, better cars are with Vision AVTR.
The solution, he said, is decoupling volume growth from resource consumption. Because that’s through sustainable innovation and technology. Therefore by 2039, Mercedes-Benz aims to achieve carbon neutral vehicle production. I mean having a complete carbon-neutral passenger car fleet.
Its car production plants are set to reduce their total water consumption per vehicle by more than a third. Also their energy consumption per vehicle will be reduced by more than 40%. Finally, by the end of 2022, all Mercedes Benz production plants in Europe will be carbon neutral.
“The key of reduce, reuse and recycle. It will lead us to our ultimate goal of the zero-impact car,” Källenius said.
The VISION AVTR
Mercedes-Benz presented its vision of zero-impact cars, through a partnership with Avatar films, with the VISION AVTR concept car.
The concept car, unveiled during the Daimler Keynote, uses revolutionary battery technology developed with graphene-based organic cell chemistry, free of rare earths and metals. The materials of the battery are compostable and therefore completely recyclable.
“When I look at this vehicle, I see the future,” said Academy-Award winning director James Cameron. “It’s an aspirational future. Are we going to be takers, or caretakers? Are we going to turn our backs on mother nature?”
A new user interface enables unprecedented user-car communication. The interior of the VISION AVTR transforms into an immersive space, with a menu selection that projects into the passenger’s palm to allow them to choose between different functionalities. With simply a hand on a controller, the driver can interact with the car and have it react to slight movements and biometric changes.
In contrast to conventional vehicle movements, the VISION AVTR can also move diagonally at a 30 degree angle, opening up new agility options.
“The people who drive this car are going to feel that connection with the world around them, and it’s going to change how they look at the world when they get out of the car,” said Avatar producer Jon Landau.
Sustainability and Drive
As Mercedes notes: Organic battery technology made of recyclable materials:For the first time, the VISION AVTR concept vehicle is using a revolutionary battery technology based on graphene-based organic cell chemistry that is completely free of rare earths and metals. The materials of the battery are compostable and therefore completely recyclable. In this way, electric mobility becomes independent of fossil resources. As a result, Mercedes-Benz underlines the high relevance of a future circular economy in the raw materials sector.
The vehicle as a living creature: The 33 “bionic flaps” on the back of the vehicle are reminiscent of scales of reptiles. They can communicate with the driver and through the driver with their outside world through naturally flowing movements in subtle gestures. Due to the possibility to drive the front and rear axles in the same or opposite direction, the VISION AVTR can move sideways by approx. 30 degrees, in contrast to conventional vehicles. The so-called “crab movement” gives the concept vehicle an animal-like appearance even in its movement.
Sustainable materials: The seats of the VISION AVTR are refined by vegan DINAMICA®leather. DINAMICA® is the first and only microfiber that guarantees environmental sustainability throughout the entire production cycle. The floor is decorated with an innovative wood called Karuun®. The raw material for Karuun (Rattan) grows very fast as a natural raw material and is harvested by hand in Indonesia. The material gives the interior warmth and radiates naturalness.
In AVATAR, sustainability is a big theme. Can sustainability and luxury be combined?
The world James Cameron created in AVATAR also inspires us to follow a clear vision. We want to combine the strengths of the Mercedes-Benz brand, such as long-standing tradition and high innovative strength, with mobility that is more sustainable and intuitive. This is anchored in our corporate strategy and we act responsibly. All the products and services we offer are not only intelligent, but also emotional. We think of our brand consistently from the customer’s point of view and put it at the heart of our actions. In this way, we combine modern luxury with sustainability and focus entirely on the core values of our brand: ease, respect, trust and love.
In conclusion and though the VISION AVTR is just a concept car now. However Källenius notes that it is here to spark our imagination. Finally, he hopes It will hopefully spur new innovations. All to build more sustainable mobility.
Source: CES -January 17, 2020
