There are many companies developing autonomous driving systems for cars, and recently Mercedes has announced that one of its models will be released with level 3 autonomous driving.
This means that this car will be able to circulate autonomously on its own, although its driver must be prepared to take control in the event that the car requests it due to an unforeseen problem that arises while driving.
There are 5 levels of autonomous driving, and level 5 represents total autonomy and without the need for the car to have a steering wheel and brakes for driving. Something that is still very far away.
We have to remember that what Mercedes announces is something that Waymo and Cruise are already doing with their cars, which offer autonomous taxi services in some cities. The difference is that Mercedes does not seem to intend to offer the taxi service, but to include this driving mode in some of its new models.
They have called the driving system Drive Pilot System and they are going to offer it as an option for their S-Class and EQS models of electric cars
The Pilot system (as indicated in the photo above) is redundant and has various sensors "visualizing" what is happening on the road with cameras, radar, lidar, etc..., so that the computer system makes the appropriate driving decisions. autonomously.
The German authorities ( German Federal Motor Transport Authority ) have approved their system to Mercedes so that it can be used in certain geographical areas, provided that the car does not exceed 60 km/h and that the driver is prepared to take control of the car in case necessary.
Mercedes has announced that it plans to offer the Drive Pilot for its S models for 5,000 euros, and for the EQS for 7,800 euros. And now they need to get the driving licenses for this system in the various countries and states. In the USA they want to start in California hoping to have a permit at the end of this year 2022.
As has happened in the past with other means of “security”, companies will start offering their system in high-end models (they are the most expensive), and then gradually extend it to the rest of the range.
And what they offer today for 5,000 euros will be much cheaper in the future. But don't get your hopes up, cars with these systems are controlled by a complex computer system, and the manufacturers will control such a system in the future.
Therefore, it will be the car manufacturers that will control the car for the rest of its life, and we will pay for software updates and upgrades.
And the question that arises in the future when buying a car may be: whose car is it? Is it mine or that of the manufacturer?
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