Now that we’ve had our bit of fun, we’ll mention that that company has placed its badge on a rickshaw, but only in the virtual world. Meet the Maybach DRS ("Den-Riki-Sha", which means electrically driven rickshaw), a luxury, electric-powered vehicle that has been created for the Los Angeles Design Challenge, a competition that includes vehicle with a maximum weight of 1,000 pounds (454 kg).
Created by the company’s Advanced Design Studio in Tokyo, the vehicle can accommodate four passengers.
"This was a major challenge – in particular for a brand such as Maybach, whose luxury has thus far manifested itself not least in the vehicles’ size. This is why, when building the Maybach DRS, we combined the European concept of luxury with the Asian feel for optimum use of space, so we were able to create a vehicle which blends both in an intelligent manner. Thereby we have shortly undermatched the weight limit," explained Holger Hutzenlaub, head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Tokyo.
The vehicle uses a natural production process, just like the Mercedes Biome concept, being developed form a DNA cocoon. The frame is made of carbon fibres and organic composite materials, while the doors and windows are made of injection-moulded polycarbonate and the panoramic roof of flexible organic composite materials.
The self-balancing creation is powered by two electric hub motors that develop 20 kW (27 hp) each, with the electric current coming from a rear-installed lithium-ion battery pack.
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