Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 2 hrs ago
Mercedes plans supervised driving system for many models next year
Mercedes plans to offer MB.Drive Assist Pro early next year in many electric and gas-powered vehicles.
The system lets drivers enter a destination, then the car can drive there and park; eligible vehicles already on the road can get it through an over-the-air update.
On highways, the system can operate hands-free, but drivers must keep a hand on the wheel on surface streets.
Mercedes classifies it as a supervised Level 2 system, meaning the driver remains responsible for the car.
The company says city streets are more complex than controlled-access highways, and keeping a hand on the wheel may help drivers react sooner.
The system offers an alternative to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, though Mercedes has not said when it will offer hands-free driving on city streets.
Mercedes plans to add its MB.Drive Assist Pro system to many electric and combustion-engine vehicles early next year.
Eligible vehicles already on the road will be able to receive the system through an over-the-air update.
The system can follow a driver’s destination and park, but requires a hand on the wheel on surface streets.
Mercedes says the system remains Level 2 and the driver is responsible for supervising it.
- Who
- Mercedes-Benz.
- What
- It plans to add MB.Drive Assist Pro, a supervised point-to-point driving system, to many vehicles.
- When
- Early next year.
- Where
- In eligible Mercedes electric and combustion-engine vehicles; the system operates hands-free on controlled-access highways but requires a hand on the wheel on surface streets.
- Why
- Mercedes presents the system as a Level 2 system, for which the driver remains responsible.
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- System
- MB.Drive Assist Pro
- Planned rollout
- Early next year
- Eligible vehicles
- Electric and internal combustion models
- Existing eligible vehicles
- Can receive the system through an over-the-air update
- Driver responsibility
- Level 2 system; driver must supervise it
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What people are saying
There is a very important borderline between the levels,
That borderline is that with Level 2 Plus Plus, you are responsible. At Level 3, the machine, the car, the software stack, is responsible.
I’d view my hand on the wheel as lessening the seconds of reaction time to something crazy happening.