Mercedes BIOME: a true nature's child

This outlandish looking contraption is dubbed the 'BIOME' and is Mercedes-Benz's take on a vehicle that's fully integrated into the ecosystem -- from the moment of its creation right through to the end of its service life.

The hovercraft-like device was conceived for the Los Angeles Design Challenge by the designers from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in California.

This year the competition had called for the creation of a vision of a safe and comfortable 2+2 compact car featuring good handling and a first-class design, and with a kerb weight of only 1000lb (around 454kg).

The BIOME is fabricated from an ultralight material called BioFibre and tips the scales at just 875.5lb (around 394kg). Mercedes-Benz says this material is significantly lighter than metal or plastic, yet more robust than steel.

BioFibre is grown from proprietary DNA in the Mercedes-Benz nursery, where it collects energy from the sun and stores it in a liquid chemical bond called BioNectar4534 (yes, we agree, this does sound like it's straight out of a sci-fi movie).

As part of this process, the vehicle is created from two seeds: The interior of the BIOME grows from the DNA in the Mercedes star on the front of the vehicle, while the exterior grows from the star on the rear.

To meet specific customer requirements, the Mercedes star is genetically engineered in each case, and the vehicle "grows" when the genetic code is combined with the seed capsule. The wheels are grown from four separate seeds.

The Mercedes-Benz BIOME is also powered by BioNectar4534, which is stored in the BioFibre material of the chassis, interior, and wheels.

There's never likely to be a shortage of the substance as Mercedes-Benz has developed a technology to equip trees with special receptors that can collect the excess solar energy and turn it into BioNectar4534.

The BIOME's enviro credentials are hard to dispute. Apart from the fact it grows in a completely organic environment from seeds sown in a nursery, out on the road the car emits pure oxygen (improving air quality in the process).

And rather than rotting away on a scrap heap at the end of its lifespan it can be simply composted or used as building material.

"As the inventor of the motor car, we wanted to illustrate the vision of the perfect vehicle of the future, which is created and functions in complete symbiosis with nature," said Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios boss Hubert Lee.

"The Mercedes-Benz BIOME is a natural technology hybrid, and forms part of our earth's ecosystem. It grows and thrives like the leaves on a tree."

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