INVISIBLE MERCEDES

Not quite but well on the way to invisible.

Mercedes new F-Cell vehicle is being marketed as a car that’s “virtually invisible to the environment.” That’s because the hydrogen fuel cell electric car, which converts compressed hydrogen into electricity to drive the motor, has only one emission: water vapor.

A joyride through city streets turns a few heads with a "clever" illusion. How did the German automobile 

manufacturer pull it off? 

THE WEEK

March 7, 2012

THE VIDEO:

In a move that appeals to both Harry Potter fans and environmentalists, Mercedes is marketing its new F-Cell as a no-omissions vehicle that's "virtually invisible to the environment." To promote the car’s invisibility, Mercedes equipped one side of the car with sheets of LEDs that show streaming images captured by a Canon 5D Mark II camera attached to the other side of the car. The car blends into the background, making it nearly invisible.

To get the point across, the carmaker made one of the cars "invisible," and sent it out into German streets. Of course, it's really a "clever" illusion ~ the vehicle's left side is covered in a special sheet lined with LED displays, which show streaming images captured by a Canon 5D Mark II camera fitted on the car's opposite flank.

This "gives pedestrians the effect of being able to see right through the car," says Elizabeth Fish at PC World, though it's "a bit confusing if you happen to be another driver."

The campaign is promoting Mercedes' new hydrogen-powered drive system, which produces zero emissions save for environmentally friendly water vapor. The car should be going into production in 2014, and although “invisible” won’t be one of the color choices, its 240-mile range should still appeal to folks. The stunt is turning heads already.

THE REACTION:

"David Copperfield never pulled off a trick quite like this," says Matt Peckham at TIME. That said: The results aren't perfect ~ the wheels are still there, and the LED image is a a little grainy, "but the net effect is probably a heartfelt 'whoa' if you happen to catch sight of this thing zipping by.

"Yep, the onlookers are definitively awed, says Chris Davis at Slashgear, but the "most impressive" part is when the Mercedes is parked out in the forest. It's incredibly hard to spot the vehicle until it jumps out at you "when the panels cycle through bright colors."

It's no wonder the U.S. military is considering similar cloaking technology for its tanks. Take a look: