Mercedes Cars in Nevada to Use Turquoise Marker Lights for Automated Driving from 2026

From model year 2026, Mercedes cars in the American state of Nevada will use turquoise marker lights to show other road users when the car is driving automatically. Mercedes says it is the first car manufacturer to receive permission for this.

Of car manufacturer is allowed use the marker lights in California and Nevada, but in the former state it can only be used for development vehicles for the time being. In Nevada it can be used on production models. Mercedes has received permits for the two states to test the lights. The marker lights are in the headlights, taillights and exterior mirrors.

The manufacturer says that the marker lights can increase the acceptance and safety of self-driving functions, because other road users can see from outside that the car is using an automated driving mode. “Traffic enforcers and police officers can also more easily recognize the system status and determine whether drivers are allowed to perform additional activities during the highly automated journey when Drive Pilot is activated,” the company writes.

Mercedes says it chose the color turquoise because it is clearly distinguishable from existing vehicle lighting, traffic lights or emergency lighting. This should ‘significantly’ reduce the chance of confusion. Physiological and psychological research is also said to have shown that the color is ‘optimal for automated driving’. The turquoise color is also mentioned in the SAE standard J3134, which concerns clearance lights for use in automated driving modes. The car manufacturer wants the turquoise color to eventually become the global standard to indicate that a car uses a self-driving function. This does not exist yet, says Mercedes, not even in the EU, for example.

The marker lights only come on when using Drive Pilot. Drive Pilot is Mercedes’ name for automated driving at SAE level 3 and takes over driving the car. The driver no longer has to keep his or her hands on the wheel, but must be able to intervene at any time. According to Mercedes, when using Drive Pilot, the driver can, for example, play games or watch videos using the car’s central screen. For Drive Pilot, the car uses a combination of radar, lidar, cameras and ultrasonic and moisture sensors.

Drive Pilot is also available in Germany. The cars here do not yet use turquoise lighting. Drive Pilot only works on supported cars, currently the S-Class and EQS, and only works on supported highway sections where the car cannot drive faster than 60 km/h due to, for example, heavy traffic.

2023-12-20 13:17:51
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