Mercedes this year will offer the first legal self-driving system that lets drivers turn their attention from the road and check their phone under certain conditions.
The German automaker has made two big, simultaneous announcements about its Drive Pilot software: The system has completed legal approval in the state of Nevada and will be offered for sale on the 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS sedans.
Related: Self-Driving Cars — Everything You Need to Know
Wait, Isn’t There Already Self-Driving Tech for Sale?
No car sold in the U.S. in 2023 offers true self-driving technology.
A handful allows drivers to take their hands from the wheel under limited conditions. But, until now, none have allowed drivers to legally look away from the road.
Automakers use a system of five levels to describe their efforts to build self-driving cars. A Level 1 system can assist with one driving task. A lane-centering system that can make light steering adjustments to help keep a car centered in its lane, for instance, would qualify as Level 1. A theoretical Level 5 system wouldn’t require a steering wheel or pedals.
The highest system currently for sale is Level 2. These systems combine more than one system. For instance, they might combine lane-centering technology and radar cruise control that can keep a set distance from the road in front.
A few, like GM’s Super Cruise or Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, even let the driver remove their hands from the wheel for a few moments. But they watch to ensure the driver is still paying attention to the road. They disengage, prompting the driver to take over if they look away.
Yes, YouTube is full of videos of drivers trying to trick the systems and keep them running even without a human monitoring them. But they’re supposed to prevent that, and safety advocates have raised alarms that some automakers market them as if they’re more capable than they are.
At least one recent survey showed that many drivers already treat their Level 2 systems as more capable than they are, eating and checking emails behind the wheel.
What’s Different About Drive Pilot
Drive Pilot is different in that drivers can safely look away. It’s the first Level 3 system to earn regulatory approval.
Mercedes says, “On suitable freeway sections and where there is high traffic density, DRIVE PILOT can offer to take over the dynamic driving task” at speeds up to 40 mph. When the system is engaged, Mercedes says, its driver can “take their mind off the traffic and focus on certain secondary activities.”
Why “certain” activities? Because some of the most obvious possibilities, such as sending text messages, may still be illegal under other laws.
Mercedes announced earlier this month that Nevada would soon permit Drive Pilot’s use on its roads. It now says the system has completed all legal steps and is allowed on Nevada roads.
Or would be. If you could buy it.
Coming on Two High-End Cars
You’ll be able to buy Drive Pilot this year. Mercedes will offer the system on the 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan and EQS sedan, “with the first cars delivered to customers in the second half of 2023.”
In case you’re not familiar with the Mercedes ladder of luxury, the S-Class is the brand’s signature ultra-luxury sedan. As the top of the Mercedes lineup in the U.S., it starts at $114,500 for 2023. The most opulent models often cost over $200,000. Mercedes hasn’t announced pricing for 2024, which is when Drive Pilot will appear.
The German luxury brand is currently building an electric-powered counterpart to most of its gas vehicles. For the S-Class, that’s the EQS sedan — an all-electric super-luxury sedan with a range of up to 350 miles. It’s as luxurious as the S-Class and arguably higher-tech, with possibly the most advanced air filtration system ever built into a car and high-tech touches like a “nap mode” that, we assume, won’t work with Drive Pilot.
May Come to California Soon
Nevada residents may not be the only ones able to use Drive Pilot for long. Mercedes says it “has the ambition to continue to expand to California later this year with the certification documents already filed” with state regulators. The state hasn’t commented on the likelihood of approval.
