Recently, Mercedes-Benz announced that it will officially launch L3-level assisted driving functions in the U.S. market. By then, American Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS owners will be able to use L3-level assisted driving functions. Mercedes-Benz is also ahead of Tesla and has become the first car company in the United States approved to operate L3-level assisted driving.
It is reported that Mercedes-Benz launched the L3 DrivePilot system in Germany throughout the year. Now, Mercedes-Benz has announced that this feature will be launched in the US market.Using DrivePilot requires car owners to subscribe separately, which costs US$2,500 (approximately RMB 18,275) for the first year. Pricing for the next few years has not yet been announced.
Mercedes-Benz said that after activating the L3 level system, the central control screen will provide additional functions. The driver can browse the web, watch movies using the YouTube app, and play mini games.
At the same time, DrivePilot uses a more powerful positioning system than GPS, with an accuracy of inches, equipped with lidar, cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors, and a digital high-definition map that provides 3D images of the road.
DrivePilot will be updated regularly through the back-end data center, but the system currently only supports a maximum speed of 40 miles (about 64.37 kilometers) per hour. Mercedes-Benz said that this is a local regulatory requirement in the United States. If regulations permit, they can increase the speed to 70 miles (about 112.65 kilometers) per hour.
In addition, it is worth noting that in order to implement L3 autonomous driving,Mercedes-Benz has previously promised that if an accident occurs when the vehicle is using the DrivePilot system, Mercedes-Benz will bear full responsibility.