German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has received approval for automated driving at speeds of up to 95 kilometers per hour in Germany.
In the statement made by the German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, it was stated that the German Federal Motor Transport Agency (KBA) has approved a system that allows Mercedes’ S-Class and EQS models to be driven autonomously at speeds up to 95 kilometers per hour under certain conditions.
Thus, the next step was taken in the company’s “Level 3” autonomous driving technology, which it calls “Drive Pilot”.
It was stated in the statement that, under certain conditions, vehicles equipped with an automatic driving system can follow a vehicle in front on highways at speeds of up to 95 kilometers per hour, and that sales are expected to start in 2025.
In the statement, it was reported that Mercedes-Benz is working to offer the system in question at higher speeds up to 130 kilometers per hour, and that the price of Drive Pilot in the S-Class and EQS models will remain the same (starting from 5 thousand 950 euros including VAT). It was stated that vehicles equipped with “Pilot” will also be updated free of charge.
Until now, the maximum speed at which the system could be used in vehicles equipped with Mercedes-Benz’s “Drive Pilot” was limited to 60 kilometers per hour.
With the green light from the KBA, Mercedes-Benz will become the first company in Germany to be able to sell partially autonomous cars at level 3, with approval for higher speeds.
The company’s Munich-based rival BMW also currently offers a driver assistant that allows the driver to hand over responsibility to the vehicle at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour on the highway.
Autonomous driving systems are numbered between 0 and 5. 5 means “fully autonomous”. Currently, most vehicles with advanced autonomous features on the market meet at most the “Level 2” system.
