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Mercedes is the first car manufacturer to receive approval in the USA for a so-called “Level 3” automated driving system. How does it work on the street?
Los Angeles is notorious for long traffic jams, with commuters jostling closely together, especially in early morning traffic. But Mercedes senses an opportunity here and has invited some journalists to test its new automated driving system called “Drive Pilot”.
What’s special: It’s a so-called “Level 3” system, in which drivers can also take their hands off the steering wheel and their feet off the pedals. For example, to watch videos on the large display, dictate voice messages or have an animated conversation with the person next to you.
Infrared camera monitors the eyes
What you can’t do, for example: close your eyes and sleep or leave your seat and crawl into the back seat. According to Mercedes, the driver must be able to control the car again at any time. An infrared camera monitors the driver’s eyes; He is then initially warned to keep his eyes on the road again with a loud beep and a jerking of the seat belt. If this doesn’t happen, the vehicle will eventually stop on its own. Watching videos on your smartphone is also not allowed: California law prohibits this.
The Mercedes system is the first to receive approval as a “Level 3” system in California and Nevada – ahead of its competitor Tesla. This step is a “moon landing,” explains Mercedes development boss Markus Schäfer proudly.
Different approach than Tesla
Is German engineering overtaking the American pioneer in the electric car market? Christian Gerdes, a professor at the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University, says that taking a different approach to development appears to have helped Mercedes gain approval:
“Tesla has focused heavily on artificial intelligence. They use data to train a network to deal with the driving situation,” said Gerdes. “Mercedes’ ‘Level 3’ system, on the other hand, is developed in a much more traditional way. I think it’s a tremendous achievement that Mercedes can bring its system to the USA.”
The competitor Tesla’s approach is fundamentally different. “Instead of trying to solve part of the problem, they try to solve the entire problem. The question is whether or not the approach they take ultimately provides the level of quality required.”
Potpourri of driving system
Tesla relies primarily on data from the built-in cameras, while Mercedes has also installed radar and lidar systems. Gregor Kugelmann, head of development for driver assistance systems at Mercedes-Benz, emphasizes that safety comes first. They are so convinced of the system that they “take responsibility if something happens in traffic, if something could be attributed to the ‘Drive Pilot’”. This is also a key difference to Tesla: the US company is not liable.
And there are enough accidents with the driving assistant at Tesla: The US traffic authority presented in a report in June that there have been more than 700 accidents with the Tesla autopilot switched on since 2019; 17 people died.
In California there is currently a colorful potpourri of semi-automatic driving, such as Tesla, for example, as well as completely autonomous driving services in the form of robotaxis from Waymo or Cruise. At the end of the year, customers should also be able to use Mercedes’ “Level 3” system.
challenges for the police
And this coexistence leads to problems. For example, robotaxis occasionally stop when they hear ambulance sirens, thus blocking traffic. There is also the problem that vehicles suddenly brake violently in fully automated driving mode. In San Francisco there was recently a rear-end collision in a tunnel involving nine vehicles because the Tesla braked out of nowhere.
The police are also facing new challenges: when do they have to stop drivers if they are apparently distracted, how do they know whether the computer is taking over? Mercedes wants to solve this problem with an outside light. When the “Drive Pilot” takes over, turquoise light strips can be seen on the car. At least that’s the plan – this has not yet been approved by the traffic authority.
“Drive Pilot” only up to 60 kilometers per hour
In the USA, the “Drive Pilot” will be available as a subscription model. The reason for this is that, in contrast to Germany, the system is not yet approved nationwide. If you move to another state, you have the option to unsubscribe and test how much you need the autonomous driving system.
The system can certainly shine in traffic jams in Los Angeles. However, “Drive Pilot” can only be used to a limited extent on the highways: the computer currently only takes over at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour – and only in good weather conditions.