Mercedes-Benz Humiliates Tesla As It Advances To Level For Autonomous Capability
Mercedes-Benz Is The First To Reach Autonomous Glory
On a recent call, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, told investors that on fourth-quarter earnings, all other car manufacturers are far behind the American automaker regarding the development of autonomous driving. Musk said, “There isn’t even a close second to Tesla.” Contrary to this, the next day, Mercedes-Benz became the first car manufacturer to succeed in SAE Level 3 certification in North America.
It seems like Musk spoke too soon. On the call with the investors, he said, “We don’t even know who would be a distant second. I don’t think you can see second place with a telescope. I don’t think it’s any of the car companies.” Clearly, that telescope wasn’t necessary, as the inevitable was staring right in front of their face.
For context, one should be aware of how SAE International (previously known as the Society for Automotive Engineers) regards its six-tier system for autonomous driving. Tesla, with all of its mishaps (and deceptive software “Full Self Driving” name) is still stuck at Level 2. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz’s Drive Pilot system is now Level 3 certified in Nevada.
Of course, there are certain conditions to consider. For the moment, Mercedes-Benz Level 3 system will only be available in Nevada and will only be featured on two models: the 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS. The luxury German automaker is currently waiting for California to sanction its paperwork to bring Level 3 Drive Pilot to The Golden State. It also doesn’t presently maneuver at speeds over 40 miles per hour.
Apparently, Mercedes-Benz thinks the Drive Pilot is currently a good tool to get drivers through frustrating traffic jams. Here’s what they said in a press release:
“On suitable freeway sections and where there is high traffic density, DRIVE PILOT can offer to take over the dynamic driving task, up to the speed of 40 mph. The control buttons needed for this are located in the steering wheel rim, on the left and right above the thumb recesses. Once conditions are suitable, the system indicates availability on the control buttons. When the driver activates DRIVE PILOT, the system controls the speed and distance, and effortlessly guides the vehicle within its lane. The route profile, events occurring on the route and traffic signs are correspondingly taken into consideration. The system also reacts to unexpected traffic situations and handles them independently, e.g. by evasive maneuvers within the lane or by braking maneuvers.”
Truth be told, the advancement of autonomous technology still has some ways to go, but from Mercedes-Benz’s (not Tesla’s) standards, it seems like we’re headed in the right direction. Meanwhile, Tesla is racing to compete with semi-automatic driver safety assistance systems, which has already caused their fair share of issues for the company. Though profits are on the up and up, the Department of Justice, the National Highway Traffic Administration and the California Department of Motor Vehicles are all looking into Tesla’s “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving Beta” software for causing deadly crashes and giving deceiving messages to the public…and that’s only including investigations in North America.
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