Mercedes-Benz have developed a shark-like concept car called the Formula Zero, which looks more at home in the water than on the race track for which it was designed. The car is a solar-powered green-machine, supposedly inspired by Formula One and Yacht Racing. What it actually looks like is a cross between a shark, a vehicle and the USS Voyager.
Designed in-house by the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center, the Formula Zero is part of an idea for a futuristic style of motor racing where the emphasis is on energy efficiency. Teams would start with an equal allocation of energy and it would be down to the skill of the driver and the design of the car to win the race.
Winners would be determined based on both time elapsed and energy used, which seems like a fun challenge, but not something that would be much fun to watch. Perhaps anticipating this, the designers also envision a race track made of a see-through material so that spectators can watch the action (read: crashes caused by the lack of traction) from beneath the road surface.
The car would have electric hub motors on each of its four wheels and a solar skin that would recharge the batteries. Sounds…quiet.
Sources:
EMercedesBenz via EcoFriend