The Chinese car industry is booming, but for autonomous driving there is close cooperation with the Germans.
In addition to the transition to electric driving, more and more safety systems and automatic driving systems are being put into cars. Of course, all the fun of driving must be taken away. But the technology is of course interesting.
Autonomous driving is the future?
New cars can do more and more by themselves. Of course, we all know Tesla’s Autopilot, but many cars can already do a lot by themselves. All of these current systems on the market have a maximum of SAE level 2. This means that you as the driver are still the one who ultimately controls the car.
At SAE level 3, the car drives autonomously, but it may be that the system indicates that you as the driver should take over. At SAE level 4 and 5, you as the driver have nothing more to do.
SAE level 3 is already being tested extensively and Mercedes-Benz was also one of the first to test this level of autonomous driving on public roads in China at the end of 2023.
Mercedes tests autonomous driving level 4
The news now is that Mercedes-Benz is starting to test SAE level 4 autonomous driving on designated city and highways in Beijing. That means highly automated self-driving.
Mercedes-Benz currently offers more than forty driver assistance systems in its models. Many of them are already SAE level 2 and is the first car manufacturer with a level 3 system (drive pilot) on the market, says Markus Schäfer, member of the board of management and Chief Technology Officer Development and Purchasing of the brand.
With the new approval for testing Level 4 technology in and around Beijing, Mercedes-Benz is taking a giant leap forward in development. We also want to use the knowledge gained from this for later use in private cars all over the world. Once again, we will set benchmarks for the industry.
Thus the proud Markus
Mercedes S-Class
Two specially equipped Mercedes-Benz S-Classes are loaded with sensors for the tests and are the test cars to test the level 4 autonomous system under different conditions. The cars are equipped with LiDAR, radar sensors and cameras.
By driving these cars around the capital of China, Mercedes’ R&D department can study the system’s behavior in everyday situations.
Think of turning left with oncoming traffic, driving on roundabouts, turning and parking. The two S-Classes are also designed to automatically change lanes and pass toll stations independently. In extreme situations, the test car performs a so-called minimal risk manoeuvre and looks for a safe place to stop.
Second highest level
SAE Level 4 is highly automated driving, the second highest level of automation. In defined scenarios and environments, the car can do everything by itself without the driver having to be ready to take over the wheel.
Mercedes-Benz and the Chinese company WeRide have jointly received test approval for automated driving according to SAE Level 4 from the responsible authority in Beijing (Beijing High-Level Automated Driving Demonstration Zone Office).
In itself quite special that Mercedes-Benz is conducting these tests in China. Curious whether the American market will then label the technology as German or Chinese and whether or not the self-driving Mercedes will be allowed to go to the USA.
Curious what you think. Is it a good thing that cars are increasingly doing more themselves, or has all the fun of driving been taken away a bit this way? Let us know in the comments.
Comments
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Trojan say
Tesla’s opponents are often angry about the fact that Tesla is testing beta software on public roads. Still, it’s funny to see that Mercedes is now going to do exactly the same thing, for exactly the same reason (= collecting real-world data). When I see what FSD is already doing in downtown San Francisco, I think it’s a bit premature to speak of ‘new standards’ Markus, because everything described above FSD has been doing for a while (apart from the toll stations), but it’s still fun to follow the developments.
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green forest say
Can the EU also decide in the very short term which costs are for the manufacturer and which for the consumer? I don’t just mean the very expensive subscriptions for this autonomous car technology, but also the enormous costs in the event of a minor collision. Let alone worse. The repair costs will be phenomenal. Then there are the idiots who have to drive the last part home (country road, alley, roadworks, etc.) themselves and then can’t do that -more difficult- part. Where is the vision on autonomous driving: the vision from the customer instead of the technology and the manufacturer?
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Joris24 say
As far as I’m concerned, the policy should be adjusted to the cost of the car. There are more and more (electric) cars that cost a fortune at the slightest malfunction or damage, so let the owners of those pay more policy than I do with my old meatballs where replacing a windshield is just replacing a windshield instead of having to align 34 systems with lasers and quantum computers afterwards.
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Joris24 say
“is all the fun of driving a car gone this way?” Well… I do believe in the conveniences of autonomous driving at times, but I am really not a fan of all kinds of beeping and warning systems that monitor every millimeter you travel non-autonomously. Beeps when you are driving a bit too fast or when the system thinks you need lane assistance. Fuck that. I have literally never heard anyone say ‘how nice that I have lane assistance, because normally I just snore and text behind the wheel and that car keeps me in my lane’, only ‘that stupid thing vibrates at all times’.
In addition, I can’t imagine for the time being that I have the money to pay for a car with “LiDAR, radar sensors and cameras.” All those electronics cost money and can break. Who knows one day, but in the class where I shop that will not be available for the next 20 years anyway.
Last but not least, I wonder what the Chinese are paying to get their hands on this technology without investing in R&D themselves.
