January 27th 2023
The state of Nevada has made history by granting official recognition to Mercedes-Benz and its cutting-edge Level 3 conditionally automated driving system. This marks a groundbreaking achievement for the luxury automaker, as they become the pioneers in bringing this level of autonomous driving to the United States through their advanced Drive Pilot technology, accessible in the chosen cars.
Mercedes-Benz’s Level 3 conditionally automated driving system allows for a seamless driving experience, where the vehicle takes over the task of driving, enabling the driver to attend to other tasks. The Drive Pilot technology is optimized for use on freeways with heavy traffic and can reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. Indicator buttons on the steering wheel indicate when the system is active, and the driver can activate it by simply pressing them. The Drive Pilot system is designed to keep the car in its lane and can react to unexpected traffic situations by taking evasive maneuvers.
Mercedes-Benz has loaded its vehicles with a plethora of sensors to create the cutting-edge Drive Pilot system, building upon the already impressive Driving Assistance Package. Equipped with a rear-window camera and microphones, these vehicles have the ability to detect emergency car and road dampness through a sensor in the wheel well. Mercedes also employs the use of LiDAR technology to keep the car precisely where it needs to be. To ensure the safest handover to the driver, the company has installed redundant steering and braking actuators as well as a redundant onboard electric system.
If the driver fails to respond to the system’s prompts to regain control of the vehicle, the Drive Pilot technology has a fail-safe feature in place to ensure the safety of all passengers. The vehicle will automatically apply the brakes, turn on the warning hazard lights, unlock the doors, and activate the emergency call system once the car comes to a stop.
The Drive Pilot system boasts an incredibly advanced high-precision positioning system, which Mercedes claims is far more powerful than traditional GPS. This system measures the map’s accuracy in centimeters instead of meters, providing a detailed 3D image of the road and its surroundings, complete with road geometry information. This data is stored in a main data center, easily accessible by all Drive Pilot equipped vehicles, allowing for unparalleled accuracy in positioning.
Mercedes-Benz is set to unveil the revolutionary Drive Pilot technology in their upcoming 2024 S-Class and EQS sedan models, with the first vehicles being delivered to customers in the latter half of 2023. The company is eagerly looking forward to expanding the use of Drive Pilot to the state of California, as they have already submitted the necessary certification documents.
Source and Images: Motor1