German luxury brand Mercedes is already selling cars with Level 3 self-driving capabilities in the US, ahead of Tesla, Fortune magazine reported. Called Drive Pilot, the feature allows drivers to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel under certain conditions.
Elon Musk has been touting Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature for years. Last month, version 12 of FSD was released with the Supervised tag, fulfilling a long-held promise to bring FSD out of beta. But while Musk’s talk of a great feature will allow Tesla’s cars to stay in lane, brake in emergencies, and warn drivers about blind spots, drivers still need to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel at all times.
According to the classification used by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Tesla’s FSD is still at Level 2 in terms of autonomy, while Level 5 is full autonomy with no human intervention required.
How does Mercedes’ self-driving system work?
Mercedes began offering Drive Pilot as a feature on its cars in Germany in May 2022. The car went on sale in the U.S. last December, but was only sold in California and Nevada, where it was certified by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DMV).
Fortune reports that 65 of these vehicles have been sold in California, and DMV records show one has already been delivered to a California resident.
If you’re worried that this particular resident will start acting like a few Tesla owners who have caused multiple accidents by largely ignoring the rules to follow while using FSD, the Mercedes option seems much safer.
Drive Pilot Level 3 is only approved if several conditions are met. It must be used during daylight hours when the car is traveling below 40 mph (64 km/h). Additionally, the technology can only be used on certain Mercedes-approved highways in Nevada and California. If the vehicle issues a warning, the driver must resume control.
The Road Ahead
Drive Pilot is available to US customers on EQS sedans and S-Class cars for a yearly subscription price of $2,500, a steep price considering the service is only available in two US states and that in Europe a three-year membership is offered for a minimum of $5,300 (5,000 euros).
The service is expected to expand to other states, but if there’s anything we’ve learned from FSD’s experience, it’s that implementing self-driving cars isn’t that simple.
Mercedes is also testing turquoise lights in the taillights, headlights and rearview mirrors to let other drivers and law enforcement know the car is driving itself. But this is all kind of preparation for the next step, Level 4 autonomy, which may seem obvious, but the hurdles to overcome are much bigger.
At Level 3, the car can warn the driver to take over control, but Level 4 systems are much more sophisticated and only require the driver to intervene if the system fails. This effectively means the system can also handle unexpected situations on the road, which is a much more challenging task.
Interestingly, Level 4 self-driving is already in the US, with services like Waymo and GM’s Cruise operating vehicles with such capabilities. However, these vehicles are owned and operated by companies, and the technology is not sold to private car owners. A Cruise vehicle had its license suspended last year after it dragged a pedestrian for 20 feet.
The question remains: How well can Tesla handle this development?
This report contains information that first appeared in Fortune.
Newsletter
Blueprint Daily
Get the latest news in engineering, technology, space and science with The Blueprint.
About the Editor
Ameya Pareja Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A molecular biologist at heart, he put down his micropipette to write science articles during the pandemic and has no plans to go back. He loves writing about genetics, microbiology, technology and public policy.
