Mercedes-Benz Bionic
Encyclopedia
The Mercedes-Benz Bionic was a concept car
created by DaimlerChrysler AG under the Mercedes
Group. It was first introduced in 2005 at the DaimlerChrysler Innovation Symposium in Washington, D. C. The bionic was modelled after a type of fish
, the Ostracion cubicus (a boxfish
), and also has 80% lower nitrogen
oxide
emissions with its SCR technology.
that gives out around 70 MPG (US) (~3.36 L/100 km). This engine also gives out around a total of 140 hp and a little over 221 foot-pound (energy) of torque
at around 1600 rpm. The Bionic can go from 0-60 in about 8 seconds and has a top speed of a little over 190 kilometre per hour .
; this influenced the car's unusual looks. Other parts of the design include the fact that the rear wheels are partially fitted with plastic and that it's considered as a lightweight vehicle. Mercedes-Benz reported a drag coefficient
of 0.19; for comparison, the production vehicle with the lowest ever Cd value was the GM EV1, at 0.195. While the Bionic had a much larger internal volume than the EV1, the Bionic's larger frontal area made the EV1 more aerodynamic overall.
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
created by DaimlerChrysler AG under the Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
Group. It was first introduced in 2005 at the DaimlerChrysler Innovation Symposium in Washington, D. C. The bionic was modelled after a type of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, the Ostracion cubicus (a boxfish
Boxfish
Ostraciidae is a family of squared, bony fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. Fish in the family are known variously as boxfishes, cofferfishes, cowfishes and trunkfishes...
), and also has 80% lower nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
oxide
Nitrogen oxide
Nitrogen oxide can refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds:* Nitric oxide, also known as nitrogen monoxide, , nitrogen oxide* Nitrogen dioxide , nitrogen oxide...
emissions with its SCR technology.
Engine and Performance
The Bionic is powered by a 103 kW direct-injection diesel engineDiesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
that gives out around 70 MPG (US) (~3.36 L/100 km). This engine also gives out around a total of 140 hp and a little over 221 foot-pound (energy) of torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
at around 1600 rpm. The Bionic can go from 0-60 in about 8 seconds and has a top speed of a little over 190 kilometre per hour .
Design
The exterior design was modelled after the yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicus), a tropical fish that lives in coral reefs. Mercedes-Benz decided to model the Bionic after this fish due to the low coefficient of drag of its body shape and the rigidity of its exoskeletonExoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
; this influenced the car's unusual looks. Other parts of the design include the fact that the rear wheels are partially fitted with plastic and that it's considered as a lightweight vehicle. Mercedes-Benz reported a drag coefficient
Drag coefficient
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment such as air or water. It is used in the drag equation, where a lower drag coefficient indicates the object will have less aerodynamic or...
of 0.19; for comparison, the production vehicle with the lowest ever Cd value was the GM EV1, at 0.195. While the Bionic had a much larger internal volume than the EV1, the Bionic's larger frontal area made the EV1 more aerodynamic overall.