The 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan is not only a stunning electric vehicle but also a showcase of the company’s latest innovation in autonomous driving.
Mercedes-Benz is the first US automaker to obtain permits for using turquoise-colored lights on vehicles to indicate autonomous driving. Traditional vehicles use white, red, and orange lights, while dark blue is for police. Now, Mercedes-Benz will introduce turquoise lights on highways in California and Nevada.
The EQS is the first car in the U.S. to feature Drive Pilot, a system that claims to be a real SAE Level 3 system. This means that the car can take total control of driving in certain situations, while the driver still needs to monitor the road and be ready to intervene if needed.
Drive Pilot is not a simple cruise control or lane-keeping assist feature. It is a sophisticated system that uses a combination of cameras, LiDAR and radar sensors, and satellite navigation antennas to perceive the environment and make decisions. The system can handle complex scenarios such as traffic jams, construction zones, and intersections. It can also recognize and respond to emergency vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users.
The system also mandates the driver to view a seven-minute video before the initial use. According to the company, the video provides detailed explanations of activation, appearance during activation, and deactivation conditions. Once completed, you are free to use Drive Pilot for the first time and subsequent uses won’t require rewatching the video. Instead, you’ll simply need to acknowledge Drive Pilot’s imminent takeover by pressing the “OK” button on the steering wheel when prompted on the instrument panel. This process, while slightly bothersome, is necessary to comply with regulations, enabling Mercedes to introduce a true SAE Level 3 car on California and Nevada roads. These two states are currently the only ones permitting autonomous driving, but as regulations expand, Mercedes will update the HD mapping used in its self-driving suite.
One of the most distinctive features of Drive Pilot is the use of turquoise lights on the vehicle’s exterior. These lights indicate when the system is active and what it is doing.
The turquoise color was chosen based on several studies conducted by Mercedes-Benz. “The studies found that most participants preferred the color turquoise,” the company said. The lights are designed to cover 360 degrees of space around the vehicle and to communicate with other drivers, pedestrians, and authorities. The company believes that these lights and what they represent might help people trust self-driving cars more.
Drive Pilot is being introduced in the U.S. with the 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan, which is expected to arrive in dealerships in the second half of 2023. The system will be available as an option for an undisclosed price.
Relevant articles:
– Mercedes-Benz debuts turquoise exterior lights to indicate the car is self-driving | A visual indicator for other drivers
– Mercedes-Benz’s First Hands-Free Driving System Requires Watching a …
– Self-Driving Mercedes-Benz S-Class Puts on a Turquoise Light Show
– Mercedes Drive Pilot Arriving in CA, NV with Level 3 Autonomy – Autoweek