Good news for people who want a new Mercedes-Benz EQS or S-Class: your new luxury land yacht will soon have the country’s first accurate Level 3 automatic driving capability. Mercedes’ Drive Pilot system was the first to be approved for use in the United States. It was also better than software from Tesla and Honda that could do similar things. The German automaker has been working hard to get approval from regulatory bodies in many states so that this technology can be used smoothly and with the backing of the groups that keep an eye on autonomous vehicles. It will soon be shown to the world for the first time. The right groups have approved Drive Pilot for use on California and Nevada public roads. A news release from Mercedes-Benz says that the systems will work at Level 3 in both cases as long as the car is going less than 40 mph “on freeway sections that are appropriate and at times of high traffic density.” What is Level 3 driving automation? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says this technology “takes care of all aspects of driving while leaving the driver available to take over if needed.” If the car is driving, the passenger can chat, watch YouTube, read a book, or do anything else except sleep as long as they are ready to take over if the car needs them to. But, if you often drive on some of the busiest roads in the U.S. (looking at you, I-405), Drive Pilot will almost certainly lower your blood pressure. If you still need clarification, think about this: we tried Drive Pilot last year and were happy with what we discovered. Keep in mind that Level 3 is conditional automation, meaning that the vehicle must be driven in the conditions it was built for. If not, the car will ask the person in the driver’s spot to retake control. The car will let the driver know if the road is wet, if it sees an emergency vehicle or if it needs to go faster than 40 miles per hour. Drive Pilot is officially available in the EQS and S-Class, but only to German citizens. Because each state has its own rules about cars, there are a lot of different rules about how AVs and vehicles with conditionally autonomous powers (like Drive Pilot) can be used in the United States. So, Mercedes asked the right people in California and Nevada for permission before making the technology available to the public. Even though state law usually takes care of these things, some cities and towns want to make them even stricter. But Drive Pilot will be the first Level 3 self-driving feature that can be bought in a car from a U.S. dealer. Mercedes says that Drive Pilot will be used for the first time in a fleet of EQS cars later this year. But in early 2024, customers will start getting vehicles from the model year 2024. Drive Pilot, on the other hand, will cost money to use. Mercedes-Benz will assess a fee of $2,500 for the first year of ownership. This is the same as Tesla’s Full Self-Driving contract, but Drive Pilot offers Level 3 technology instead of Level 2. The business says that other options will be shown later.
