Mercedes announced in January at CES that it would be the first automaker to receive SAE certification for a Level 3 driver assist system. That was made clear on Thursday when the automaker said that its Drive Pilot ADAS (automated driver assistance system) now meets Nevada Chapter 482A, which says that autonomous vehicle technology can be used on the roads of the state. As a result, Drive Pilot is currently the only Level 3 system that is legal in the United States.
Dimitris Psillakis, President and CEO of MBUSA, stated in a press release on Thursday, “An unwavering commitment to innovation has consistently guided Mercedes-Benz from the very beginning.” It is a very proud moment for everyone to continue this leadership and celebrate this monumental achievement as the first automotive company to be certified for Level 3 conditionally automated driving in the US market.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that a vehicle with Level 3 capabilities can handle “all aspects of the driving” when engaged, but the driver still needs to be attentive enough to quickly take control if necessary. That represents a significant advancement over the Level 2 systems that are currently in use, such as Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving,” Ford’s Blue Cruise, and GM’s Super Cruise. All of those are, in essence, extra-capable highway cruise controls where the driver is responsible for what the ADAS is doing and must keep their eyes on the road, usually with their hands on the wheel or at least close to it. That is very different from the idea of ADAS that looks like Knight Rider and what Level 2 autonomy can actually do.
“On suitable freeway sections and where there is high traffic density,” the company claims, “the Drive Pilot system can take over the duties of bumper-to-bumper crawling up to 40 MPH without the driver having to keep their hands on the wheel.” “unexpected traffic situations and handles them independently, e.g. by evasive maneuvers within the lane or by braking maneuvers,” the system will even respond to when engaged, handling lane-keeping duties, adhering to traffic flow, and navigating to mapped-out destinations.
The Drive Pilot system uses a collection of embedded sensors, such as visual cameras, LiDAR arrays, radar and ultrasound sensors, audio mics to keep an ear out for approaching emergency vehicles, to accomplish these feats. To make sure it knows exactly where it is on the road, the system even compares data from its onboard sensors to data from its GPS.
Drive Pilot is currently only available on the EQS Sedan and the 2024 S-Class. Those are already being made, and the first vehicles should arrive on the Vegas strip in the second half of this year.