Want to See Mercedes‘ ’Invisible’ Car? Here’s the Awesome Video…
- Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:21pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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When you saw “invisible car” in the headline of this story, I’m sure a yeah right slipped out from some of your mouths. But I’m not kidding.
The whole thing is a “publicity stunt,” writes Mashable, in order to show how the new Mercedes F-Cell hydrogen car has zero emissions (save for water). The clever line is that it’s essentially “invisible to the environment.” And while that is up for debate (after all, what about all the coal burned to manufacture the parts for the car?) the truth is the video below shows how it’s at least nearly invisible to the naked eye.
The video explains how it’s done, but basically the developers attach a slew of LEDs to the car, put a camera on the other side, and then broadcast the image onto the new “screen.”
For real:
Mashable has more on the vehicle:
Mercedes says its hydrogen-powered drive system is “ready for series production,” but other reports have its commercialization set for 2014. However, fuel-cell technology is still notoriously expensive, partly because hydrogen is a difficult fuel to store and transport. The materials needed to create a viable fuel-cell are still hovering in the pricey stratosphere.
(H/T: Business Insider)
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Comments (69)
DawgBreath
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 7:29pmZ-Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z
Report Post »Treaty
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 12:10pmVery cool idea. Not sure it’s real practical for a car to be invisible but you could use it to change the color of your car at will. Or have it change like a screen saver on your PC.
Report Post »one.dakine.howlie
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 3:13pmMilitary is already using this technology. I saw this same stuff on a tank in a video last year.
Report Post »clingingtogodandguns
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 7:09pmGreat now obummer will have to buy Mercedes, and subsidize this to all Americans. And dictate we buy it.
Report Post »rolla020980
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 9:54amNo, No, you have it all wrong. Obummer won’t buy this. He will continue to ride around in the Beast getting maybe 8MPG. Then, he will run a campaign giving all Americans a guilt trip for not buying a hydrogen car. What a hypocrite.
Report Post »South Philly Boy
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 6:44pmSaw on WestCoast Customs a few weeks ago a car they built and had it painted with special equipment to apply a Mirror finish. Boy was that Neat.
Report Post »Cat
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 7:45amPhil >
If you’re interested in very special finishes, go here:
http://www.alsacorp.com/
Report Post »gbfreak
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 6:31pmGM was proud to let Glenn drive their hydrogen car……until obammy got hold of the company and made them make the yugo-volt!
Report Post »Hickory
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 7:04pmYugo-Volt…………. I like that.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 6:29pmMercedes is using the right marketing approach. This vehicle is for those who can afford it and desire it. Unlike Government Motors approach I insisting everyone needs a Volt, only to find out, nobody needs it.
Report Post »randy
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 6:46pmCan’t wait for the libs to buy this car, then I can broadside them and say. Heck, I didn’t see their car
Report Post »tharpdevenport
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 6:23pmHey, look! It’s not only the car that invisable, but their future sales!
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 6:19amI want an Invisible… GUN!
Report Post »sillyfreshness
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 6:06pmNow that’s UFO technology!
Report Post »elihu
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 6:05pmFluff piece!
Report Post »bankerpapaw
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 6:03pmPut Obama in that thing and let him drive off into the sunset.
Report Post »Todd P
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:47pmImagine how hard it would be to find it in a parking lot!!!!
I already misplace my little Toyota!
Report Post »vtxphantom
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:37pmEveryone should have stealth cars. Cop cars too. All the accidents would be invisible.
Report Post »jens63
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:35pmIt is kind of embarrassing to think that some of the people here at the Blaze are only here to look at the pictures….
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:57pmYeah, most of the comments show just how few of the commenters bother to READ the article. Mamma always said, “Comment sections on internet blogs are like a box-of-choc-a-lates…you nevah know what you gonna git.”
Report Post »Razorhunters
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:18pmINVISIBLE soldier caught on video
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7zKQe-1BUFQ#t=78s
digitalson
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:12pmI would love one of these cars!~ As usual, hydrogen and fuel cells are dismissed as “notoriously expensive, partly because hydrogen is a difficult fuel to store and transport” which is a load of baloney. We could all be producing hydrogen in our backyards right now (solar electrolysis), and be off of the teat of the oil industry.
I never thought I’d want a mercedes, but I do now!
Report Post »SmoothCrimiNole
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:21pmagreed – as I just posted — so your telling me that a ZERO emission – no gas bill – Mercedes will cost you only $849 a month? where do I sign up…i spend almost that in gas alone each month. so why are people complaining? no govt money, takes me off of gas(not supporting terrorism), and its a Benz for $849? wow.
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:50pmOh good, more nonsense from the scientifically-disabled.
Solar electrolisys is viable, yeah right. As long as the sun is shining, as long as it’s not cloudy, as long as the days aren’t short and cloudy. It’s like magic.
No! Wait! I know…we’ll create hydrogen by separating water molecules during sunny days, store up the energy created by it in the fuel cell and then use that energy to keep the process going during cloudy days! Problem solved.
Of course…we won’t be using it to power anything else…aw shoot, those darned laws of physics inserting themselves into my myopic, undereducated utopian fantasies again. Man…
Report Post »Calm Voice of Reason
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 12:15pm@digitalson: Hydrogen is relatively cheap to produce, but storage really is a problem. Hydrogen is typically kept at very high pressures and it takes a lot of energy, therefore cost, to keep it that way, especially when refueling. There have been advances in carbon nanotube technologies, but they are maybe 5 years away. Hydrogen is coming, it just might not be right around the corner and will be expensive initially.
Report Post »Charybdis
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:10pmNow that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. Wait for the guy crossing the street who gets hit by this car explain how he had no idea it was even there. Open and shut case for the trial lawyer. LOL!
Report Post »SmoothCrimiNole
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:10pmOk first, where to begin, its a private company that spend 2.8 BILLION of their OWN money to develop alternative tech…don’t cry about it. second…the PUBLICITY stunt of the car was that this was shot on closed streets and only one side of the car was covered. so going coo-coo over it being invisible is missing the point. THIRD – and most importantly… saying that this technology is still really pricey isn’t doing your homework BLAZE- MBZ said via press release that this “B-class” vehicle would be leaseable for $849 a month…and that is fuel and insurance included – so your telling me that a ZERO emission – no gas bill – Mercedes will cost you only $849 a month? where do I sign up…i spend almost that in gas alone each month. so why are people complaining? no govt money, takes me off of gas(not supporting terrorism), and its a Benz for $849? wow.
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:51pmYou can afford $849 a month for a car?!
Holy crap. I guess environmentalism is only for the wealthy and mentally challenged.
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:55pmNot to put too fine a point on it, but purchasing gasoline doesn’t automagically mean supporting terrorism. It’s only true if you purchase your gasoline (or oil) from countries that support terrorism.
For instance, if the administration would allow more small companies to have drilling permits, or if they did away with the permit system altogether, a lot of tiny companies would start drilling and pumping oil right here in the U.S.
That would begin to gobble up market share from large oil companies (you know, the guys you leftists love to hate?) and those big companies would lose out to the small guys. Prices would fall for everyone with the increased competition, and jobs would be created (though some would be lost from the big companies, but we want them to fail anyway, right?)
Just some basic economic food for thought.
Report Post »Anmlhs4
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 5:01pmBig deal this is nothing new. It is actually old technology that the military was developing (or attempting to) many years ago. “Cloaking”
Report Post »1TrueOne55
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 2:54amYou’re missing the point of the article. It is that Hydrogen fuel cell technology creates minimal emissions pollution and could be ready for prime time if they could find a way to cheaply fuel it. That is an easy solution you just have to go to YouTube and search for HHO and you can see many ways to fuel this car. And the problem with hydrogen fuel cells is that you can put water in them to power the car because they remove hydrogen from liquids and since there is no pay for infrastructure to produce large amounts of pressurized hydrogen since the Hindenburg scare of the 30′s.
Report Post »akairey
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:58pmThis is like the Bond movie when they used an Aston Martin…..in “Die Another Day.” http://news.cnet.com/i/bto/20090331/car.jpg
Report Post »Mr.Fitnah
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:50pmI have never seen a volt.
Report Post »GJPinks
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 11:03pmAnd you are not likely to. It’s called The Volt because Edsell was already taken (and sold a lot better)
Report Post »jakartaman
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:44pmSh-t don’t let Barry see this
Report Post »He and his energy Czar will want the price of gas to be $10/gallon
Ponyexpress
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:41pmWho gives a **it?
Report Post »Zer0
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:48pmI do….I wanna Predator suit!!! Lol
Report Post »schlepnier
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:57pmIt’s technology (mimietism) that BAE systems has been working on for the US militaries advanced camo. it’s not truly thermo optic but it is very cool.
Report Post »seeker9
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:41pmLook, when I drive, I WANT to be seen! Do not want others to run over me.
Report Post »TexBork
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:29pmI’m still pissed about the Che ad….
Report Post »Micmac
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:27pmIt may be a publicity stunt but the research by a private company is the right idea. Kudos MBZ and keep up the good work.
NoBama 2012
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:44pmCan‘t say that it’s not cool. But, it is accident just trying to happen.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 4:24pmA lot of money for nothing.
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