Mercedes beats Tesla in self driving, becoming the first Level-3 autonomous car company to be certified in the US
January 31, 2023Auto - Show Biz clinic originally published at Auto - Show Biz clinic
Auto-manufacturing companies are in a race to be the first to implement high levels of autonomy in their cars. Mercedes seems to have won a crucial race against Tesla recently by becoming the first certified Level-3 autonomous car company in the United States.
Level-3 autonomy, also known as conditional automation, is classified as the third level of driving automation by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The race to become the first Level-3-autonomy vehicle company was intense. Many major auto-manufacturing firms were competing for the top spot. Tesla and its fully self-driving feature were the front-runners, but they were unable to obtain the required certifications in the timeframe.
It is important to note that Level-3 autonomy is a grey area in terms of regulations. Most countries don’t have any specific regulations and it is not clear what the legal responsibilities of both the car manufacturer and the driver in the event of an accident. This project has been approved in Nevada, the US.
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,” Dimitris Psillakis, CEO and Head of Marketing & Sales North America, Mercedes-Benz USA, said in a press statement.
The key to Mercedes’ success is Drive Pilot, which is a dance between various technologies including visual cameras, GPS, LiDAR arrays, radar and ultrasound sensors, and audio mics to get the car to safely drive itself. The new S-Class and EQS Sedans will have the feature, but it is only a first step in fully automated driving. Mercedes’ level-3 autonomy has proven to be a reality and set a new standard in the auto industry.
Technology advances will allow for higher levels of autonomous driving such as level-4 or level-5. Level-4 and 5 autonomy are cars that can drive themselves in all conditions without the need for human intervention. The technology to achieve these levels is still being developed and may take several years before it is available on the roads.
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Auto - Show Biz clinic originally published at Auto - Show Biz clinic
