AutoMercedes beats Tesla to bring Level 3 autonomous driving to the USThe German company’s Drive Pilot driver assistance system has been certified for public use in NevadaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
AutoMercedes beats Tesla to bring Level 3 autonomous driving to the USThe German company’s Drive Pilot driver assistance system has been certified for public use in NevadaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The German company’s Drive Pilot driver assistance system has been certified for public use in Nevada
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Mercedes)
(Image credit: Mercedes)
In what will undoubtedly be a blow to Tesla, Elon Musk and the company’s Autopilot driver assistance system, Mercedes has taken a step closer to full automation with its rival, called Drive Pilot.
The system’s new Level 3 automated driving capability has just been certified for use on public roads in the US state of Nevada, putting Mercedes ahead of all of its rivals, including Tesla.
Drive Pilot is available on the latest, 2024 model yearMercedes S-Classand electricEQScars. The system is described as being capable of “conditionally automated driving”. With it enabled,Mercedes saysthe system “will allow the driver to hand over the dynamic driving task to the vehicle under certain conditions.”
Mercedes goes on to explain how Drive Pilot’s Level 3 function can be used “on suitable freeway sections and where there is high traffic density”. It can take over the driving at speeds of up to 40 mph, controlling the car’s speed, distance to the vehicle in front, and lane position.
The relatively low speed limit and preference for dense traffic means this system should help drivers navigate frustrating stop-start motorway traffic; the sort of environment that Level 2 systems have managed with for years now, but now handled with greater intelligence.
Mercedes says it plans to offer the system in California later this year, with certification documents filed with state authorities.
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The latest iteration of the Drive Pilot system uses lidar and cameras, as well as a microphone for detecting the sirens of emergency vehicles and sensors in the wheel arches for identifying wet road conditions. Cars fitted with Drive Pilot also have redundant steering and braking actuators, as well as a redundant electrical system so that the vehicle remains driveable if a system fails and the driver needs to take back control.
If the driver is unable to resume control, perhaps because they have suffered a health problem, the car will slow down, stop, switch on the hazard warning lights and call the emergency services. Tesla cars also do this if their Autopilot system’s requests for the driver to resume control are ignored.
Mercedes also recently announced plans tobuild its own electric car charging service, similar to the Tesla Supercharger network.
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