Mercedes-Benz Warns Drivers About Potholes As Part of Its New V2V Communication
As with other automakers, Mercedes-Benz has been working hard on optimizing vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, which has been considered to be a significant component in the future automotive world. The luxury German automaker has made considerable investments in its Car-to-X system, which are technologies that exchange information in real-time. This is made possible by using either WiFi or mobile radio. Now it’s getting an upgrade, as Motor1 reports that new cars will be able to warn drivers directly of potholes in the road ahead.
This new system will be found on the new S-Class, C-Class, and EQS models. If a geared Mercedes-Benz vehicle hits a pothole, the system will detect this from the particular rapid suspension movements. Then, the vehicle will send a signal to the Car-to-X cloud servers through a cellular connection. Other vehicles from the company driving around the area are then warned by this system.
Drivers will see warnings shown on their navigation screen, which is matched with an audible notification saying “Look out, pothole!” Older Mercedes models fixed with the Car-to-X system will get a more demure warning of “Traffic event ahead.” Drivers will also be warned of other potential threats like fierce crosswinds, speedbumps, or weather conditions.
Obviously, this system isn’t responsible for actually fixing the actual problem to begin with, but hopefully, with the continuous updates, this will bring to that particular city’s attention about the damaged street/s. This new technology could just be what we need for a faster repair of potholes in the first place.
One should also know that the system is specific to the manufacturer, meaning that if you are the only driver with a Mercedes-Benz vehicle in the area, then you shouldn’t expect to get any information deemed useful from this V2V system. On the other hand, if the area is full of vehicles from the posh company, then you should receive a great deal of useful information.
Additionally, the Car-to-X system requires the user to create a “Mercedes Me” account. Primary functions are free for the initial three years with models deemed eligible, with subscribed fees payable past that point.
Other benefits of the V2V system include communicating with traffic lights and road works, support with Intelligent Drive functions (Collision Prevention Assist and Distronic Plus w/ Steering Assist), finding alternate driving routes and parking spaces.
This revolutionary feature will prove its value as the deployed fleet of geared vehicles increases over time. At some point, it is expected that we will see car makers work together in sharing data to make for a broader range of sharing information to drivers. Despite that, these complex communication systems are still in the early stages of development, so it will take much time and effort before we truly see what it’s made of.
Mercedes-Benz of Washington
When the time comes to purchase your Mercedes-V2V-geared vehicle, be sure to do it at Mercedes-Benz of Washington, we sell a wide range of vehicles from the company, including the new S-Class and C-class. Those who are interested in any of our models can simply view our online new car inventory and chat with a representative for further assistance.