(Elbil24): Self-driving cars have for years been a distant dream for many. Mercedes-Benz – as the first brand in the world – has now been granted a dispensation to allow for autonomous driving at level 3 (out of five), although limited to Germany.
Mercedes-Benz itself says that they are first in the world, but testing of all the different levels in certain areas of Nevada is also underway. So what does this mean for you as a user?
In the first instance, this means that you can legally look away from reading e-mails or other applications, whether it is on your own mobile phone or the car’s own multimedia screens, while the car takes care of driving.
Without these systems in place, the regulations will be tightened:
Now this can be much more expensive
The system is roughly large extensions and combinations of adaptive cruise control and file holder systems, and is therefore activated in the same way. But to support security, the systems are far more advanced than that.
Mercedes-Benz has now received the world’s first international system approval for self-driving cars, albeit with some conditions. And when the approval is in place, it should not be on the products either.
Even before the summer, it should be possible to buy a Mercedes-Benz S-Class with what MB calls “Drive Pilot”, which supports self-driving at level 3.
In busy areas, the car must then be able to drive itself with a limit of up to 60 km / h, in addition to a total of 13,191 kilometers of motorway in Germany that is prepared for self-driving. Extended tests are also underway in both the USA and China, and the launch in the markets will come as soon as there are also national rules that allow a launch.
NEW FEATURES: Notice the extra button on the steering wheel. Expect new buttons and functions when the system is used. Photo: The producer
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How does it work?
There is not little that needs to be in place for a car to be able to drive by itself. New S-Class has therefore used radar for long range, separate radars for shorter range, stereo camera in the windshield, LiDAR, humidity sensors, cameras that monitor the driver, 360-degree cameras that follow around the car itself exterior, ultrasonic sensors, own cameras in the back, and a microphone that constantly monitors the sound outside the car.
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The latter will, among other things, capture the sound of sirens, in case there are emergency vehicles, and is a support function for the cameras.
BMW i4 M50 in the world’s first winter test
Besides all the technical devices, there is also a large package of software that will process all the information that is collected, and the car is more of a computer than it is a mechanical means of transport.
A number of safety features have also been added to the bottom. If the car notices that you are inattentive for too long, or does not respond to warnings and danger signals, it slows down and eventually stops completely. This is also the case if there are health reasons why you do not respond, which are basic functions within self-driving.
Join a round with a partially self-driving VW ID.3:
Long awaited
In some circles, there is hot and intense talk about self-driving cars, with either full or partial assistance. The battle over which brand has come the furthest and is first out seems almost to be bigger among the enthusiasts than among the car manufacturers.
Because with the manufacturers, they know painfully well that it is not they who decide when the systems can be used.
That is what the authorities do. For example, if you have a car that to some extent can control and keep the file for you, then just bring out the stopwatch. Within 15 seconds without holding the steering wheel, you will be notified to take control of the car.
This is required by law, and not something the car manufacturers themselves have found out is smart. Mercedes-Benz is now the first brand that has received approval to roll out level 3 in the commercial market, but then the road is not long before more follow, because this is something all manufacturers are working on, either with their own development, or through purchased technology.
When it comes to Norway? The Norwegian authorities decide.
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