Mercedes-Benz Level 3 automatic driving system, approved for use in the United States!
Among the many automobile OEMs, Mercedes-Benz is the first and only one in the history of the United States.
With this system, the driver can take off the driver, and drive the desertion while surfing the Internet, and Mercedes-Benz is also responsible for the accident.
This system matches the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class and pure electric sedan EQS, and will be officially delivered in the second half of 2023.
It is worth mentioning that Germany and this time Nevada are only a prelude, and Mercedes-Benz is targeting California next.
A controversy also began, and some netizens said with satisfaction:
Mercedes is already a long way behind Tesla, but it's nice to see that they're catching up.
But some netizens are not convinced - support Mercedes-Benz, believing that Tesla FSD only stays at the L2 level:
Level 3 autonomous driving means that Mercedes will be legally liable, and the driver will not be responsible for the accident, which Tesla cannot yet do.
The Mercedes-Benz L3 class system was the first to be approved for use in the United States
MERCEDES' L3-LEVEL SYSTEM, DRIVE PILOT, HAS JUST RECEIVED REGULATORY APPROVAL FROM NEVADA.
The system includes the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the new EQS, a pure electric sedan, to be delivered to U.S. customers as soon as the second half of 2023.
Specifically, the Level 3 autonomous driving system allows the driver to take off the driver, but the driver must be ready to take over the vehicle at any time.
PRESS THE STEERING WHEEL EDGE BUTTON TO ENABLE DRIVE PILOT, WHEN THE SYSTEM IS ACTIVE, THE DRIVER CAN USE THE CENTER SCREEN APP, BUT WHEN THE SYSTEM EXITS, THE PERSON MUST TAKE OVER THE VEHICLE, AT WHICH TIME THE CENTER CONTROL SCREEN WILL BE BANNED.
Traffic laws vary from country to country, and according to the German precedent, people can surf the Internet while driving a Mercedes, such as watching movies, playing games or sending and receiving e-mail, under limited conditions.
But the system also limits its use, officially describing it as limiting top speeds to 40 mph (about 64 km/h) only in "suitable highway sections and places with heavy traffic."
Prior to this, Mercedes-Benz's DRIVE PILOT system was the world's first automatic driving system calibrated L3, and the world's first L3 mass production autonomous driving.
First launched at the end of 2021, it has been rolled out in Germany since May 2022, and is now officially certified by the US state of Nevada.
Mercedes said this is an "important milestone" because their DRIVE PILOT system is the first and only L3 production autonomous driving system officially licensed on U.S. roads.
In this new development, Mercedes-Benz CTO Markus Schäfer said:
In today's world, time is one of the most precious commodities, and one of the core elements of our strategy to build the world's most popular car is to put time back in the hands of our customers. The DRIVE PILOT system is an important step towards achieving this goal and puts us at the forefront of innovation in the field of autonomous driving. The Nevada license marks the beginning of a new era for us to go global.
After Nevada, the next step will be California, USA, and Mercedes-Benz has submitted relevant documents to California officials. The Level 3 autonomous driving system is also expected to be approved in California later this year.
WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE MERCEDES-BENZ DRIVE PILOT?
DRIVE PILOT WAS PREVIOUSLY OFFICIALLY ENDORSED AS THE FIRST AND ONLY LEVEL 3 AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SYSTEM RECOGNIZED BY THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMISSION, THE KIND OF TREATMENT THAT TESLA'S FSD DOES NOT HAVE.
This system is actually similar to GM's Super Cruise, Ford's BlueCruise and Tesla's Autopilot.
For the actual experience, you can refer to the previous third-party road test in Germany.
Mercedes Drive Pilot allows hands-off driving, just start the system takeover at the steering wheel and the green light will turn on to completely get rid of it:
The speed is controlled to 60 km/h and is limited to 13,191 kilometers of motorways in Germany:
Vehicles in congested roads start and stop smoothly, and the distance between vehicles is kept farther than human operation:
There are motor vehicles passing quickly next to it, and they can also be avoided in time:
There is a vehicle plug ahead, slow down in advance:
What if the driver is bored, or ... Open the big screen of the car machine and play Tetris?
But distractions also have limits, and you can neither nap nor sit in the back seat.
And it's important to note that you can turn your head and eyes sideways, but Drive Pilot must be able to detect your face through the camera. Once your face is obscured by other objects, the system will automatically exit.
Overall, Drive Pilot performed calmly, but in the video, only a small part of the ACC adaptive cruise function was shown, and other standard functions of L3 autonomous driving, such as automatic lane change and on/off ramps, were not shown.
In addition, Mercedes-Benz officials even raised the Drive Pilot automatic parking function directly to the L4 level, which is said to be able to realize automatic parking in completely unmanned scenarios, including automatic parking space, route planning, active power off and other functions, which have been realized on mass production cars.
More importantly, Mercedes-Benz directly said: if the user uses the Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot automatic driving system to have an accident, Mercedes-Benz is fully responsible.
But if you want Mercedes to pay, the conditions are not simple ... It cannot be used at night, rain and snow, urban open roads with complicated road conditions, and speeds exceeding 60 kilometers per hour still cannot be used.
Specific to the highway, the score is also determined, there must be centimeter-level high-definition map coverage, and the navigation data must be approved by the local government department.
Such an automatic driving system relies on the following sensor hardware:
1 lidar, 12 ultrasonic radars, cameras, 5 millimeter-wave radars, GPS positioning, 1 microphone (to detect emergency vehicles), and road moisture sensors at the wheel arches.
In addition, Mercedes-Benz is equipped with redundant steering and braking devices, as well as redundant on-board electronic systems, to ensure that even if one of the systems fails, it can still operate normally and can be handed over to the driver to take over.
If the driver fails to take over in time, the system will automatically turn on the hazard warning lights and brake to stop the vehicle. As soon as the vehicle stops working, the emergency call system is activated and the doors open automatically.
However, research shows that Level 3 autonomous driving systems also have certain risks, such as not driving for a long time, suddenly controlling the vehicle in an emergency, and making it difficult for the driver to react in time.
Moreover, many L4 autonomous driving companies, including Google Waymo and General Cruise, said that they are more willing to engage in the research and development of L4 autonomous driving technology, because under L3 autonomous driving, although the car performs most of the driving tasks instead of humans, the driver still needs to stay focused.
Coincidentally, in addition to Mercedes-Benz, Ford has also turned to the development of L2+/L3 autonomous driving, and Audi, BMW, and Volvo are all developing their own L3 systems.
Some people asked why Tesla did not apply for similar official certification like Mercedes-Benz, and the opinion given by netizens was:
"Once officially licensed, it will prevent Tesla from regularly updating OTAs and upgrading the system, as official certification will have to be resubmitted with each beta release." What Tesla wants is Level 4-L5 Autopilot, and Level 3 is reserved for idiots. ”
What do you think? Do you want to experience a Mercedes-Benz Level 3 autonomous driving?
Reference Links:
https://www.teslarati.com/mercedes-benz-drive-pilot-level-3-autonomy-apporval-u-s-2023/
https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/27/23572942/mercedes-drive-pilot-level-3-approved-nevada
https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/mercedes-level-3-autonomous-l3-adas-drive-pilot-review-driving-autopilot
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