Recently, Mercedes-Benz obtained the road permit from the German Federal Traffic Authority for L3 autonomous driving, Daimler CEO Conlinson said, "This is a step in the history of autonomous driving, so that the car really takes over the car, like the first step on the moon." With the first certification, there will be more certifications in the future. ”
L3 level regulatory certification and road access permit is a key to automatic driving, opening the door to a new world when L2 level autonomous driving is revived.
L3's virtual and real
At present, in the mass production models, many new forces of intelligent cars have been equipped with L2+ auxiliary driving functions, to help users automatic parking, automatic navigation, etc., but the driver's hands can not be separated from the steering wheel, people are still the main body responsible for the car.
But on December 10, Germany and Mercedes-Benz broke this restriction. The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) allows Mercedes-Benz L3 self-driving cars on the road under the technical approval regulation UN-R157. It is reported that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan with DRIVE PILOT or the Mercedes-Benz electric flagship sedan EQS, which will drive on the German highway next year, will not exceed 60 km / h, can be hands-free but not allowed to sleep, if necessary, humans take over the vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot combines radar, camera, lidar, microphone, humidity sensor, and high-precision GNSS to receive and process information on road geometry, route outline, traffic signs and abnormal traffic events, helping vehicles make driving judgments and decisions during operation. When Drive Pilot takes control of the car, it can handle unexpected traffic situations and take circumvention actions if necessary.
At present, a number of models equipped with L2+ assisted driving in China have been mass-produced, and the use of functions is comparable to that of Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot. For example, The Xpirot intelligent driving system of Xiaopeng Automobile will be upgraded to 3.5 next year, supporting urban NGP functions, relying on vision, high-precision maps and a variety of radars to complete the automatic change of roads and navigation aids. However, domestic car companies have not yet released L3-level regulations and mass production models, which may be related to the L3 controversy.
L3 level automatic driving is conditional automatic driving, and there has been a lot of discussion about whether it is necessary at this stage.
As early as 2017, the Audi A8 announced that it was a mass production of L3 level autonomous vehicles, but due to regulatory restrictions and technical reasons, this plan was also discontinued. Subsequently, Ford, Volvo and Google Waymo all chose to abandon L3 and directly transition from L2 to L4, so the driving assistance function continued to evolve, and each mass-produced model did infinite addition on L2, but it was always difficult to break through L3.
I didn't expect the peak circuit to turn in 2021. In March, Honda Motors released honda LEGEN (mileage) in Japan, the new car is equipped with L3 level automatic driving system, this system is called "Honda SENSING Elite", it is understood that the Japanese transportation department allows the car to be on the road in a specific environment, but the first batch of models is limited to 100 units, launched by leasing. Honda claims mileage is the world's first car to achieve L3 level autonomous driving certification.
In December, Mercedes-Benz brought the latest news of L3, and with the permission of the German regulatory authorities, L3-class Mercedes-Benz cars can be driven on the prescribed roads next year. In fact, at the IAA Daimler R&D management media meeting in September this year, Markus Sch fer, chief operating officer of Mercedes-Benz AG, revealed that Germany will officially introduce L3 level autonomous driving, and Mercedes-Benz will also be certified. Therefore, Mercedes-Benz has done a lot of technical research and development work in intelligent assisted driving.
L3 landed in Germany to follow
Germany is the hegemon of the fuel vehicle era, with a strong automobile brand and a complete industrial chain cluster. However, when smart electric is sweeping the new automobile industry, fierce enemies have risen, and intelligent cars occupy the tide of the times represented by intelligent driving and intelligent cockpits.
Mercedes-Benz also believes that in the era of electric vehicles, digitalization and intelligent interconnection will be one of the fastest growing areas.
But safety remains the biggest challenge for autonomous driving. Ann Hahn, executive vice president of Daimler Greater China, told the media that safety has always been one of the core values of Mercedes-Benz. "We have also always put safety first when developing L3-level intelligent driver assistance systems, and are committed to designing in the safest and safest way possible. Our L3-level Intelligent Driver Assistance features can only be operated under preset safe environments and safe weather conditions, as well as under certain speed limits. From mercedes-Benz's point of view, on the one hand, we want to provide advanced technology, on the other hand, we also want to protect the safety of drivers. ”
Mercedes-Benz is said to be the world's first car company to obtain an L3 level of automatic driving on the road, but there are still many people in the industry who disdain the driving function that the L3 model can achieve, which requires both speed limits, road limits and environmental restrictions, and even reports that "just this? ”。 Liu Shengbo, an investment and financing expert in the automobile industry, told Che Yunmao that The L3 model approved by Mercedes-Benz is still in the category of advanced assisted driving, but because it allows vehicles to make their own decisions according to the algorithm, it is of great significance for subsequent data collection and algorithm optimization.
Although L3 level autonomous driving has been marginalized, mercedes-benz L3 self-driving production car is not obviously amazing, but this event will still drive the industry-wide process.
According to iResearch's research report, in 2021, the driving automation level of mass production vehicles in China is transitioning from L2 to L3, and the L3 level conditional autonomous driving passenger cars are expected to gradually land in 2023.
"In China, Mercedes-Benz's L3-level intelligent driver assistance system is close to the stage of submission for certification after meeting some technical requirements," Anhan said. For Mercedes-Benz, the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class and future models are technically well prepared. ”
At present, Shenzhen has become a pilot city that can carry out L3 level certification, and Shanghai has also issued the "Special Plan for the Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industry (2020-2025)" to guide the promotion of automatic driving above L3 level. Among them, it includes high-speed vehicles, elevated road tests, and pilots in specific areas to carry people without safety officers. In China, L3-level intelligent driver assistance systems will be gradually popularized in Shenzhen, and more first-tier cities will achieve this in the future.
Che Yun summary
Mercedes-Benz L3 automatic driving has been supported by German regulations, and the division of responsibilities between people and vehicles has really been clarified in the regulations.
According to the requirements of L3, when the vehicle turns on the automatic driving function, if there is an accident, the responsibility is borne by the car manufacturer, but at the same time, L3 also requires that the driver take over the vehicle in time in the event of an emergency.
Therefore, the industry has been arguing, is there a need for L3 to exist?
Although next year's mass-produced Driver Pilot will get a part of the "just that?" "Questioned, but the support of policies and regulations has undoubtedly given the green light for the development of science and technology, on the contrary, the changes in social life of science and technology have promoted the improvement of regulations, and Germany and Mercedes-Benz have made the warriors of autonomous driving."
The improvement of the L3 road permit system for Mercedes-Benz is an important symbol of the industry's progress.