Mercedes-Benz ‘unsupervised’ Level 3 technology approved for the road

Autonomous driving is coming, and the German government has approved Mercedes-Benz to use its Level 3 ‘Drive Pilot’ autonomous driving technology on public roads.

There are stipulations to adhere to, but it does means Mercedes-Benz EQS and S-Class buyers will be able to drive hands free and without supervision of the car in certain circumstances.

While hands-free driving is already available in some markets with cars like the Tesla Model S, the systems technically always require supervision – despite photos of users sleeping in their cars on the freeway.

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However, Mercedes says that with its official approval, drivers will be able to effectively switch off and legally do activities on the infotainment system such as emailing, online shopping and even watching movies.

“With the approval of the authorities, we have now achieved a breakthrough: We are the first manufacturer to put conditionally automated driving into series production in Germany. With this milestone, we are once again proving our pioneering work in automated driving and also initiating a radical paradigm shift,” said Mercedes-Benz chief technology officer, Markus Schafer.

The caveat given by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority however is that the car must be travelling under 60km/h in traffic on the freeway. It’s not clear if this will be enforced by software in the car, although that will likely be the case.

In any event, it is a big move for autonomous driving and sets the way for higher speeds and enabling other circumstances in which it can be activated.

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The technology will only be available from 2022 and, for now, in the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS, which are equipped with an arsenal of sensors.

There are microphones and light sensors at the rear to detect emergency vehicles so it can automatically move over, moisture sensors in the wheel arch to adjust to hazardous road conditions, and of course the standard LiDAR and radar cameras which use artificial intelligence to detect moving objects, deciphering the environment around them, along with GPS tracking of where the car is.

“For many years, we have been working to realise our vision of automated driving. With this LiDAR based system, we have developed an innovative technology for our vehicles that offers customers a unique, luxurious driving experience and gives them what matters most: time,” said Schafer.

“For the first time in 136 years of automotive history, the vehicle takes over the dynamic driving task under certain conditions. At the same time, we are pleased that Germany is continuing its pioneering role in automated driving with this approval.”

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Beyond Germany, Mercedes says that this first step of approval will help governments in other countries to set regulations for similar Level 3 driverless approval.

It is likely this will sweep through Europe and the UK first, but Australian road authorities have already been assessing autonomous car capabilities on local roads.

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