This Baller Mercedes 18-Wheeler Drives Itself

Google may have raised more than a few eyebrows earlier in the year with their plan for a tiny autonomous car, but Mercedes just one-upped them. Or 18-upped them.

This futuristic-looking semi is called the Future Truck 2025. As the typically German, spelled-out name states, the concept represents Mercedes' vision for what autonomous trucking will look like in about a decade's time. It's at the same time absolutely incredible and kind of believable.

From the outside it doesn't look all that different. It's sleek, sure, and kinda pretty, at least insofar as a semi truck can be pretty.

It even comes with its own little light show up front, because, hey, it's the future. Why not?

But inside it gets kinda nuts. Yes, that's a crazy luxurious-looking chair. With a pillow. And family photos. This is what Mercedes calls a "calming design" so that you can get more work done while the truck drives you places. They're dead wrong though. With a seat like that and a truck driving itself, it's physically impossible not to take a nap.

There is actual tech here. It's got radar shooting out from several different spots, and there are numerous cameras, all of which combine with a coven of witches tucked under the dash to tell the truck exactly what it needs to be doing.

That means you can spend plenty of time "looking up recipes," or anything else while en route.

The scary thing is Mercedes is adamant that the technology is already in place. They actually built this truck—complete with what they're calling a "Highway Pilot" system—that's essentially on autopilot when you're on the open road.

They're not making it...yet. But it's a pretty solid bet they will one day during your lifetime.


Aaron Miller is the Rides editor for Supercompressor. He's okay with semi-autonomous big rigs, because he never saw Maximum Overdrive. You can autonomously follow him on Twitter.