Mercedes launched a new Drive Pilot system this year designed to work in dense traffic highways. The speed would be less than 49 miles per hour. Apparently, this new Drive Pilot system allows the driver to entirely disengage from driving. Mercedes is confident saying that it is safe enough for the driver not to pay attention to the road. However, drivers should be ready to take back the control for traffic situations that are uncertain. The Society of Automotive Engineers defined this system as Level 3 Automation. It means that the automation is above level 2 systems.
Level 2 automations cover General Motors’ Super Cruise, Ford’s BlueCruise, as well as Tesla’s Autopilot. Level 2 automated vehicles control brakes and steer on their own, but the driver still needs to pay attention on the road at all times. The Society of Automotive Engineers on the other hand said that level 3 systems do not have to make the driver fully engage. It means that the driver could still do something else like checking emails and watching videos. On the other hand, Tesla’s autopilot is famous for its Full Self-Driving technology. But, the driver must pay attention on the road at all times.
The company said the system complies with Nevada’s traffic regulations, and they expect to get certification in California soon. They predict that the system would be available on model year 2024 Mercedes EQS and S-class models. The system on the other hand works on particularly mapped highways in states where it received legal status like Nevada. Among many other technologies, Mercedes’ system uses lidar. It is almost similar to radar, but lidar uses laser light, not radio waves, to recognize surroundings’ objects.
