Mercedes burned Tesla pond. He was the first to receive the approval of the function of the future – HNonline.sk

If we have so far been massaged by someone with information about a working autopilot, it was the American electric car manufacturer Tesla. However, Elon Musek and his carmaker Tesla are currently being burned a bit by a German Mercedes, at least on home soil.

It was there that the Daimler Group received permission from KBA, the Federal Office for Road Transport, to use a system called the Mercedes Drive Pilot. It offers autonomous driving up to level 3.

However, it is important to add that only level 2 is allowed in Europe so far and even the mentioned Tesla with its “autopilot” cannot drive at level 3, ie for the driver to let the car drive on its own for more than a few seconds.

All previous functions, where the driver has his hands off the steering wheel, are only for a few seconds and rather serve to keep the vehicle in the lane in the event of an unexpected event. They are not primarily intended for independent driving without the intervention of the driver at higher speeds.

However, Mercedes-Benz with its Drive Pilot function still goes further, to level 3. This carmaker was authorized by the Federal Office of KBA, but so far only on German roads. This convenience should be provided next year at a surcharge of the flagship class S and the electric derivative EQS.

Without having to have your hands on the wheel, the driver of these luxury models will be able to drive at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. However, this is not possible everywhere, it is expected to be used mainly in congestion on German highways.

The system is not yet tuned to the city streets. It is also not yet certain whether the authorities will allow this technique to be used over time up to the recommended motorway speed in Germany, ie up to 130 kilometers per hour. Drive Pilot also cannot change lanes without driver assistance.

The carmaker is also actively working to approve this system in other countries, the most important being the United States and probably China. Mercedes estimates that there are approximately 13,191 kilometers of motorways in the home territory, where the system could be used very well in the event of a traffic jam.

In the car itself, for example, there is a LiDAR, a camera in the rear window, but also microphones to detect blue lights and audible warnings for possible rescue vehicles. This also ensures that the Drive Pilot system can respond promptly to surrounding stimuli.

Prepared in cooperation with TopSpeed.sk.