Owners of some Mercedes-Benz vehicles will be able to legally take their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road in Nevada soon. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles said Thursday that the automaker could self-certify that its Drive Pilot system is safe for use on public roads.
Drive Pilot has been available in Germany since last May. The company now says Nevada’s DMV has agreed to allow the company to certify that the system is safe. Mercedes is “now preparing the certificate of compliance that will be issued within the next two weeks.”
Mercedes “is optimistic that California will follow soon.”
Levels of Autonomy
There are no true self-driving cars for sale in America. Yet. But Mercedes’ system will be the first that allows drivers to take their attention from the task of driving without breaking the law.
The automotive industry uses a framework of five levels to describe self-driving systems. SAE International, a global association of engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial-vehicle industries, defines the levels:
Level 1
At Level 1, your car can intervene slightly in your driving to keep you safe. A lane-keeping system that helps steer to center you in a lane is a Level 1 technology.
Related: Self-Driving Cars – Everything You Need to Know
Level 2
At Level 2, features communicate, and more than one can be active simultaneously. Commonly, this means an adaptive cruise control system that adjusts speed to keep a certain distance from the car ahead, working with a system that centers the car in its lane. But the driver must keep their eyes on the road and be ready to take over control of the car.
Currently, Level 2 systems are the most sophisticated technology sold on cars in America. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system and GM’s Super Cruise are Level 2 technologies.
Level 3
At Level 3, the car can drive itself under limited conditions, but the driver must remain aware and prepared to take over. Automakers have tested Level 3 systems that will allow the driver to take their hands off the wheel in a traffic jam, for instance, but prompt the driver to take over when the congestion eases.
Mercedes says its Drive Pilot technology is a Level 3 system.
Level 4
At Level 4, the car can drive itself in a fixed loop on known roads. The rider is not required to take over driving at any time. These vehicles may or may not have a steering wheel or pedals. Level 4 driverless taxi cabs are in limited testing in a small part of San Francisco.
Level 5
At Level 5, the car can drive itself under any conditions and on any road. These vehicles do not have steering wheels or pedals. At this point, Level 5 systems are theoretical.
What Drive Pilot Can Do
Assuming Mercedes completes the self-certification process, the company says it will make Drive Pilot available as a Level 3 autonomous system. Mercedes will limit the system to use on highways at 40 mph and below, meaning drivers can effectively use it only in traffic jams.
Drive Pilot uses radar, lidar, cameras, ultrasound, and moisture sensors to keep track of traffic and road conditions. It uses high-definition digital maps to understand the route ahead. Combining all of that data, Drive Pilot can accelerate, brake, and steer the vehicle to keep up with traffic.
The system will prompt the diver to take over if conditions change. If the driver does not respond within 10 seconds, it will guide the car to an emergency stop.
Mercedes hasn’t said what models would offer Drive Pilot in the U.S. In Germany, it is sold on the ultra-luxe S-Class sedan and its electric EQS sedan counterpart. The system costs €5,000 (about $5,372 at today’s exchange rates) for the S-Class and €7,430 (about $7,983) for the EQS.
Controversy Will Follow
As automakers have promoted semi-automation technology, safety advocates have warned of risks. A coalition of car safety groups came together last summer to warn that marketing for the systems is often misleading.
Nevada’s step means Mercedes will be the first automaker to offer a system that lets drivers legally take their eyes from the road. But many drivers have been doing it illegally for a while. A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety survey found that many users of Level 2 technologies admit to performing – like eating and checking emails – behind the wheel even though those systems aren’t supposed to allow that.
