Self-Driving Level 3--Mercedes Style
Motor Trend is running a piece on the systems in the recently released Mercedes-Benz "Drive Pilot 95", https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/mercedes-benz-drive-pilot-95-first-drive-review
Here are a few of the details I found interesting:
By the end of this year, pending final certification from the authorities, German customers will be able to order an upgraded version called Drive Pilot 95, which, under certain operating conditions, will allow their S-Class and EQS models to self-drive for an indefinite period in the right lane of autobahns at speeds of up to 95 km/h (59 mph).[The earlier version from 2022 only worked in congested traffic up to 65 kph (40mph)]
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Why has it taken so long to implement a software tweak? Well, both the German legislators and Mercedes-Benz, which assumes legal responsibility for the functioning of its vehicles while they are operating in Level 3 autonomous drive mode, are cautious. The Silicon Valley 'move fast and break things' approach doesn't work for them.
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In addition to the parking sensors in the front and rear bumpers and the 360 degree cameras in the rear view mirrors that are fitted to many Mercedes-Benz models, Drive Pilot equipped cars have multi-mode radars at each corner, a front-facing long-range radar and a lidar unit behind the grille, a stereo camera at the top of the windshield, a regular camera facing rearward through the backlight, and a moisture sensor in the front wheel well.
The rear-facing camera is used to detect the flashing lights of emergency vehicles approaching from behind, though the 'Hey Mercedes' voice activation microphone in the cabin will pick up the sound of the sirens even if the vehicle cannot be seen. The moisture detector, which measures the sound level of the spray from the tire on wet roads, is used to determine whether rain and spray could interfere with the camera, radar and the lidar systems.
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In simple terms, the key difference between the original Drive Pilot system and Drive Pilot 95 is the latter will now operate autonomously at Level 3 for an indefinite period if the Mercedes-Benz is in the right lane of the autobahn and is following traffic traveling at no more than 95km/h. Without that traffic, which can be up to 1000 feet ahead, the system will not activate.
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