It only arrived on our shores in the third quarter of 2021, but the current Mercedes-Benz S-Class will feel aged by a few years when 2022 rolls around. Why, you ask? The full-size luxury sedan is getting quite an upgrade, at least for its home market.
By next year, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class will feature Level 3 autonomous driving
The German carmaker announced that the S-Class will be equipped with Level 3 autonomous driving technology beginning in the first half of 2022, following approval by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority. This makes Mercedes-Benz the world’s first automaker to meet the demanding legal standards necessary to implement the feature, in accordance with United Nations global regulations on automated lane keeping systems (ALKS).
Level 3 autonomous driving on the S-Class will be implemented through the Drive Pilot feature, which works by using data from LiDAR, camera, and moisture sensors complemented by a high-precision positioning system. It allows the car to drive itself up to 60 kilometers per hour in heavy traffic as well as suitable stretches of German highways.
Drive Pilot allows users to perform secondary tasks as the car drives itself
Mercedes-Benz says that this will take the strain off drivers, leaving them free to perform secondary tasks such as shopping online or sending emails on the In-Car Office functionality. The carmaker is offering Drive Pilot on close to 13,200 kilometers of highways in Germany, with extensive testing in other markets underway.
Autonomous driving is classified into six levels by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), with 0 involving no automation and 5 representing full automation with no provision for human input. Current autonomous driving technology, such as Tesla’s Autopilot feature, is at Level 2 or partial automation where the vehicle can perform steering and acceleration, but the human driver still oversees the tasks.
The technology is initially usable on almost 13,200 kilometers of highways in Germany
Level 3 or conditional automation marks the start of when the vehicle itself monitors the driving environment, able to perform most driving tasks while allowing human intervention when necessary. The feature was previewed on the Honda Sensing Elite system in Japan earlier this year and will be installed on the Legend Hybrid EX sedan.
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