Mercedes-Benz recently announced its Level 3 self-driving system Drive Pilot has been approved by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) and can now operate on roads in Germany. Mercedes-Benz is slated to begin selling its S-Class and EQS models with Drive Pilot in the first half of 2022. This is the first major breakthrough in the global self-driving field since Honda launched its Honda Legend Level 3 self-driving car in 2021, which is currently only sold in Japan.
The biggest difference between Level 3 and Levels 0-2+ is that drivers have conditional freedom in Level 3, allowing them to watch movies and do office work among others. If problems arise, automakers will be held responsible. The biggest breakthrough, though, comes from regulations, according to supply chain sources. Acquiring chips and the progress of regulations in other regions will directly impact the penetration rate. German regulations can be used as a model for other countries to follow.
Germany's approval of Mercedes-Benz's Drive Pilot is restricted to use on the 13,000km expressway network in Germany. Use in other countries must abide by local regulations to activate Level 3 functionality. Furthermore, it can only be activated with pre-made high-precision maps, geofencing and closed expressways at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour. Additionally, if the vehicle issues a warning, the driver must take over within a set time. Drive Pilot can recognize lane lines, traffic conditions and traffic signs.
The 60kph speed limit makes Level 3 suitable for congested expressways. Level 2 adaptive cruise control (ACC) is sufficient to deal with driving at 100kph and above. The biggest difference between the two is Level 2 still requires the driver to be in control and take responsibility for driving, said supply chain companies.
There are clear regulatory issues with the full self-driving (FSD) function on Tesla battery electric vehicles (BEV), which claims to be Level 4. After pressure from various governments, Tesla has revised its claims to Level 2+, but emphasizes that their BEVs already have high-level driving capabilities that can only be activated by local government regulations.
Germany has taken the lead to promote Level 3 self-driving cars, with other countries expected to quickly follow suit. Although in the short-term Level 3 is mainly available in high-end car models, Mercedes-Benz's system is also being widely tested in China and the US. Once regulations have been approved to allow Level 3 cars on the road, Mercedes-Benz's self-driving algorithms and hardware will be reproduced on a mass scale, industry sources said.
