Mercedes-Benz has gone on record stating that Level 4 self-driving is “doable” by decade’s end. Speaking to Automotive News, the German automaker’s Chief Technology Officer, Markus Schafer, said, “private-owned Level 4 cars, absolutely. This is something that I see in the future.”
Mercedes’ Level 3 technology, called Drive Pilot, is the first of its kind in the US and has already been approved for use in Nevada, and other states such as California are expected to follow suit in the coming months. For now, only the 2024 S-Class and EQS Sedan offer Level 3, both of which will go on sale in the second half of this year. Unlike Level 2+ systems like GM’s Super Cruise, Ford’s Blue Cruise, and Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, Drive Pilot can “hand over the dynamic driving task to the vehicle under certain conditions.”
The system utilizes a combination of LiDAR, radar, and various sensors to allow for safe highway driving at speeds of up to 40 mph.