F 800 Style | Daimler > Technology & Innovation > Insights into Research & Development

The Reasearch Vehicles of Mercedes-Benz

F 800 Style (2010)

With its F 800 Style research vehicle presented in early 2010, Mercedes-Benz offers a comprehensive preview of the future of the premium automobile. The five-seat luxury- class sedan, which provides generous interior space with intelligent seating, operating and display concepts, combines highly efficient drive technology with innovative comfort and safety functions, as well as an emotional design language that re-interprets modern Mercedes-Benz design within the context of the brand’s hallmark refined sporting character.

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F 800 Style - highly emotional formal idiom

One feature that is unique worldwide for large sedans is the completely new variable vehicle architecture. It is suited both for electric drive with a fuel cell, enabling a range of around 600 kilometers, and for the application of a plug-in hybrid with an overall range of around 700 kilometers, up to 30 of which can be driven on electricity alone. Both variants of the F 800 Style thus enable locally emission-free moblity on a premium level, combined with complete everyday usability.

With the F 800 Style, Mercedes-Benz is demonstrating its expertise in bringing together environmental responsibility with practical customer benefits and automotive fascination. The new research vehicle combines this leadership assertion in innovative drive concepts with classic Mercedes strengths in the fields of design, safety, comfort and refined performance. With an overall length of 4.75 meters (wheelbase 2,924 mm, width 1,938 mm), all component parts of the highly efficient and environmentally-friendly drives in the F 800 Style are located to save space in the engine compartment and in the free space within the vehicle chassis. Thanks to their extremely compact designs, both the plug-in hybrid and the fuel cell system require very little packaging space, thus leaving the vehicle interior completely unaffected.

Facts

Goals	Generous interior with intelligent seating, operating and display concept in combination with highly efficient and environmentally compatible drive technologies and innovative comfort and safety functions, as well as an emotional design language
Powertrain	Variable vehicle architecture laid out for two alternative drive concepts – plug-in hybrid with direct-injection V6 gasoline engine, approx. 220 kW/300 hp in combination with a hybrid module (approx. 80 kW/109 hp) or electric drive based on fuel cell technology (approx. 100 kW/136 hp)

Technical Highlights

Locally emission-free driving and refined performance with plug-in hybrid or alternatively with fuel-cell electric drive

Variable vehicle architecture with optimized crash characteristics

New display concept with focus on electric drive

HMI with Cam-Touch-Pad for intuitive and safe operation

DISTRONIC PLUS Traffic Jam Vehicle Follow Assist for even greater active safety and comfort plus expanded passive safety with PRE-SAFE® 360°

Easy entry via rear pivot-and-slide doors

Headlamps in LED technology

Innovative lightweight-construction seats consisting of a magnesium shell and a carbon fiber laminate seatback with resistant netting

F 800 Style with plug-in hybrid

In the hybrid version, Mercedes engineers placed particular emphasis on the further development of electric-only driving in urban traffic. The drive unit consists of a V6 gasoline engine with an output of approximately 220 kW (300 hp), next-generation direct injection and a hybrid module with an output of about 80 kW (109 hp). The lithium-ion battery with a storage capacity of >10 kWh is mounted in the interests of space and best-possible protection beneath the rear seat bench. It can be charged at charging stations or household power outlets and enables an electric range of up to 30 kilometers. The powerful and high-torque hybrid module is fully integrated into the casing of the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic. Its high power reserves enable a top speed of 120 km/h in electric mode – more than enough even for highway driving. The overall power output of the hybrid drive is around 300 kW (409 hp), guaranteeing sporty performance (0-100 km/h in 4.8 s, top speed 250 km/h). Yet, due to the efficient drive and a CO2 bonus for battery-electric operation, the F 800 Style achieves a certified fuel consumption of only 2.9 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers. The result is an extremely low CO2 emissions figure of only 68 grams per kilometer. With its highly efficient drive, the F 800 Style marks a further important step toward market-readiness for the plug-in hybrids that Mercedes-Benz will put into series production with the next generation S-Class.

F 800 Style with fuel cell electric drive.

The F 800 Stylealso offers clean driving fun with an electric drive systembased on fuel cell technology. The approx. 100 kW (136 hp) electric motor generates refined torque of around 290 Nm. The F 800 Style is characterized by innovations that are already in a close-to-production stage of development. the fuel cell components, which can be used flexibly, come from the modular Mercedes-Benz platform for electric vehicles and are already being built in low-volume series production for the B-Class F-CELL. They are suited to different drive configurations, meaning that they also work in the F 800 Style, which, contrary to the B-Class F-CELL, is rear-wheel drive. In the research vehicle, the fuel cell is mounted in the front of the vehicle while the compact electric drive is located close to the rear axle. The lithiumion battery behind the rear seats is also afforded the best possible protection in the event of an accident, as are the four hydrogen tanks. Two tanks are mounted in the center tunnel, with the other two beneath the rear seat bench.

HMI with Cam-Touch-Pad for intuitive and safe

The many innovations in the F 800 Style nclude a new operating and display oncept that, for he first time, is conceived primarily for electric drive unctions. he new Cam-Touch-Pad HMI is a highly userfriendly xpansion of the COMAND system. The operating nit consists of one touchpad in the center console and camera that records video images of the user’s hand n the touchpad. In the live image, the hand is displayed ransparently in the monitor above the center console. The ser sees the contours of his or her fingers moving over he image ithout concealing anything. The menu functions including air conditioning, phone, audio and navigation ystem, as well as internet service – can be controlled via light pressure on the touchpad. Thank to its extremely simple, intuitive and comfortable operation, the driver is less distracted from the traffic situation, meaning that the system has a role to play in the further improvement of active safety.

Range on Map for graphic range display in electric

The “Range on Map” function presents the available traveling distance in electric drive as a 360° view on the map. In the event that city authorities should, in future, permit only electric-drive vehicles, the driver will be able to use this system to determine whether the electric range is sufficient for the drive into and out of the city zone. The system also combines information about the battery charge status with data from the navigation system. In an expanded version, the system can also be set up to display electricity charging stations.

DISTRONIC PLUS Traffic Jam Vehicle Follow Assist

In 2005, Mercedes-Benz launched with DISTRONIC PLUS theworld’s first proximity and cruise control system that operates right down to a complete standstill. The new function DISTRONIC PLUS Traffic Jam Vehicle Follow Assist presented in the F 800 Style is the world’s first system that is also able to follow the vehicle in front through bends.The necessary data is generated by the radar proximity sensors and an additional stereo camera. Up to a speed of ca. 40 km/h, the system takes over both longitudinal and transverse movements, meaning that the driver no longer has to steer. Instead, he or she can – with hands on the steering wheel – sit back and relax. At speeds of more than 40 km/h, the Traffic Jam Vehicle Follow Assist is gradually deactivated by successively reducing the steering force. Naturally, the driver can override the system at any time. DISTRONIC PLUS Traffic Jam Vehicle Follow Assist is the next logical step in the Mercedes-Benz safety philosophy and forms a further milestone on the road of innovative technologies that will continue to increase the high level of driving comfort in future vehicles that is so characteristic of Mercedes.

PRE-SAFE® 360° for protection in rear-end accidents

PRE-SAFE® 360° is based on the PRE SAFE® pro-active occupant protection system developed by Mercedes-Benz. The expanded system also monitors the area immediately behind the vehicle and activates the brakes around 600 milliseconds prior to an impending rear-end collision. Benefit – if an already stationery vehicle is fixed in position during a rear-end collision, secondary accidents can be avoided – such as an uncontrolled jettison of the affected vehicle into an intersection. PRE-SAFE® 360°, too, can be overridden – should the driver accelerate forward in order to escape the approaching vehicle, the brakes are released immediately.

Modern Mercedes-Benz design – re-interpreted

The F 800 Style is both technology package and a showcar. Its external appearance is characterized by its long wheelbase, short bodyshell overhangs and the sensuous flow of the roofline. The taut, distinctly coupe-like roofline and the balanced proportions deliver a stylish, sporty look that takes the Mercedes-Benz design language to the next level and emphasizes the sculptural character of the vehicle. The result is a clear harmony of innovation in form and function that conveys a sense of style and refinement. short bodyshell overhangs and the sensuous flow of the roofline. The taut, distinctly coupe-like roofline and the balanced proportions deliver a stylish, sporty look that takes the Mercedes-Benz design language to the next level and emphasizes the sculptural character of the vehicle. The result is a clear harmony of innovation in form and function that conveys a sense of style and refinement.

Distinct front end with state-of-the-art LED headlamps

The front view of the F 800 Style features a variation of the radiator grille with the centrally-positioned star typical of sporty Mercedes models. The curving louvers of the broad grille and the sweeping air intakes combine with the powerful LED front headlamps to emphasize the dynamic look of the research vehicle. The rear lights of the F 800 Style are also equipped with state-of-the-art LED technology. They facilitate an interplay of indirect lighting and direct illumination. The result is an attractive, unmistakable and distinctive look.

Cosseting interior

In the interior of the F 800 Style, fine wood veneer and plenty of light make for superb comfort. The bright and modern feel is immediately apparent – functional elements like the cockpit and door pulls with arm rests seem to float in space like sculptures. The innovative lightweight seats in the F 800 Style consist of a magnesium shell and a back rest made from carbonfiber laminate across which a fine yet resistant netting is stretched.