Mercedes-Benz announced plans to launch its autopilot driver assist system “Drive Pilot” in the world’s largest auto market, as reported by local news outlet Spiegel.
Apparently, the news was confirmed by Mercedes CTO Markus Schaefer, which revealed that the company’s Drive Pilot is set to rival Tesla’s Full Self Driving technology in China.
For reference, the FSD eliminated many sensors surrounding its EVs to improve its camera guidance. Meanwhile, the Drive Pilot equips each detection system with parallel sensors to function, such as cameras, lidar, and sonic systems.
Mercedes’ progress in the automated driving technology
Mercedes-Benz was the first automaker to have been authorized to market a level 3 Drive Pilot system in the US, with Nevada serving as the first state.
As mentioned, it utilizes LiDAR and cameras, claiming to “take over the dynamic driving task.” The automaker is set to release the system to 2024 Mercedes models in the state.
Indeed, the automaker is leading the automated driving technology even though it currently offers minimal capabilities. The system allows a top speed of only 80 mph and an average operating speed of 40 mph.
Mercedes-Benz would not stop there as its CTO has just announced the planned launch of the DRIVE Pilot system in the Chinese market. The report noted that the automaker has already submitted a license application in China.
Unfortunately, the German automaker has not yet revealed the schedule of the Drive Pilot launch in China. However, it will surely take some time, considering that it has only started its penetration in the US market.
How would China accept the technology?
The acceptance of the Chinese government to the Drive Pilot system remains uncertain. In contrast, each state in the US executes various regulation levels on the level 3 autonomy operations. It was even stricter in Mercedes’ homeland Germany, which substantially prolonged the automaker’s introduction of the automated driving system.
That said, the automaker pledged to be accountable for the possibility of car crashes while using the technology.
On the other hand, Chinese regulators have not yet disclosed specific regulations on the said technology, considering that Chinese customers are still hesitant, especially with Tesla’s FSD.
With these recent advancements, Mercedes has indeed become the world’s leader in the autonomous driving technology market. However, it may take a long time for the company to match Tesla’s operating EVs with FSD installed due to its careful expansion strategies.
