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Mercedes-Benz is enhancing its DRIVE PILOT, a Level 3 automated driving system, to support speeds of up to 95 km/h on German highways. This update, set to roll out in early 2025, promises increased convenience for users by enabling the vehicle to handle more driving tasks, allowing drivers to engage in secondary activities. The upgrade will be offered free of charge to existing customers, enhancing their driving experience without any additional hardware changes. With this, Mercedes-Benz solidifies its leadership in automated driving technology.
Key Highlights:
- Increased Speed: DRIVE PILOT can now operate at up to 95 km/h, significantly improving its use cases in flowing traffic.
- Launch Date: Sales are expected to start in early 2025, pending re-certification.
- Cost: The system remains priced at 5,950 euros, including VAT, for new customers.
- Free Upgrades: Existing customers will receive the update at no extra cost, either wirelessly via over-the-air (OTA) updates or through a visit to the workshop.
- No Hardware Changes: The upgrade will not require any physical modifications to the vehicle.
- Global First: This will make DRIVE PILOT the world’s fastest Level 3 system in a series-production vehicle.
Enhanced Customer Experience
The new speed capability offers more flexibility, enabling drivers to engage in secondary activities such as working, browsing the internet, or streaming content via services like RIDEVU. The system can be activated under specific conditions, such as in the right lane of a highway while following another vehicle.
Safety and Redundancy
Safety remains paramount with Mercedes-Benz’s redundant system architecture. Vital systems like steering and braking are functionally redundant, ensuring that if one system fails, another can take over. Additionally, the vehicle uses a combination of cameras, radars, ultrasonic sensors, and LiDAR technology to monitor its surroundings and ensure real-time responses.
The vehicle’s positioning is also highly accurate, using a combination of satellite systems and detailed HD maps for precise localization, ensuring safe and reliable automated driving.
Future Developments
Mercedes-Benz is committed to expanding the capabilities of DRIVE PILOT, with plans to increase the top speed to 130 km/h in the future. This incremental approach is focused on maintaining safety as the primary priority.
Additionally, the company is pioneering ethical driving practices, developing turquoise marker lights to indicate the activation of the automated system to other road users. Testing for these features is already underway in the United States, with promising results.
By continually pushing the boundaries of automation, Mercedes-Benz is setting the stage for fully autonomous driving in the coming years.
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