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Two of Mercedes-Benz’s flagship models, the S-Class and the all-electric EQS, will soon be available for order with conditional self-driving technology in Germany. Starting May 17, the so-called Drive Pilot system will be offered as a surcharge option for both sedans, allowing the driver to hand over all engine control to the system under certain conditions.
The Stuttgart-based automaker became the first in the industry to receive international approval for its Level 3 autonomous technology in December last year. Releasing the system on the market now would be the logical next step and Mercedes will ask for €5,000 for the Drive Pilot on the S-Class and €7,430 on the EQS, around $5,260 and $7,813 respectively at current exchange rates. These figures include the required hardware and software and for now, no further subscription is required.
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It is important to note that Level 3 does not mean a fully autonomous vehicle. The system used by Mercedes allows the driver to hand over all driving duties to technicians in heavy traffic or on the appropriate highways in Germany at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. In this condition, the driver can completely disengage from driving with a system that controls speed and distance, and guides the vehicle in its lane. More importantly, the system also reacts to unexpected traffic situations and avoids dangerous maneuvers.
“Mercedes-Benz was the first manufacturer to put a Level 3 system with internationally valid certification into series production,” Britta Seeger, member of the board of management at the company, proudly says. “As a first step, we are offering this world-leading technology in Germany in the S-Class and EQS. At the same time, we also want to receive certification in the US by the end of the year.”
International approval from December 2021 does not mean self-driving Mercedes vehicles can be driven worldwide. Individual countries still set their own rules regarding autonomous technology in vehicles, and Mercedes is also currently working on receiving certification in the United States.
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