Mercedes-Benz L3 autonomous driving tech approved, self-driving S-Class to debut in 2022
- News
- New Technology
- December 10, 2021
- Arif Chan

Mercedes-Benz has become the first car manufacturer to get its Level 3 autonomous driving technology to meet the demanding legal requirements of UN-R157 for a Level 3 system.
The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has granted system approval for this on the basis of the technical approval regulation UN-R157, thus paving the way for offering such a system internationally, provided that national legislation allows it.

Mercedes-Benz’s autonomous driving technolgy, called Drive Pilot will first be avialable in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class that will debut in the first half of 2022.
With Drive Pilot, drivers will be able to relax behind the wheel and let the car rtake over in certain situations. Initially, approval for the Drive Pilot technology is only permitted for driving speeds up to 60 km/h only.

The controls for the Drive Pilot are located on the rim of the steering wheel, on the left and right above the thumb recesses.
The Drive Pilot system controls the speed and distance, and effortlessly guides the vehicle within its lane. The route profile, events occurring on the route and traffic signs are correspondingly taken into consideration.
The system also reacts to unexpected traffic situations and handles them independently, e.g. by evasive manoeuvres within the lane or by braking manoeuvres.

The self-driving system employs the use of LiDAR, cameras, a microphone, and surrounding sensors to assess the car’s surroundings and signals from other vehicles (including aural signals).
Wetness sensors are also located in the wheel wells to assess road conditions.
As well as the sensor data, the Drive Pilot receives information about the road geometry, route profile, traffic signs and unusual traffic events (e.g. accidents or roadworks) from a digital HD map.
Somewhat related: First Impressions: BMW I3 REx – Too Futuristic For Malaysia Right Now

The S-Class with the optional DRIVE PILOT also has redundant steering and braking systems and a redundant on-board electrical system, so that it remains manoeuvrable even if one of these systems fails and the safe handover to the driver can be ensured.
And if the driver fails to retake control after prompted, the system brakes the vehicle to a standstill in a controlled manner and with suitable deceleration.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the upcoming S-Class with Drive Pilot will use a high-precision positioning system that is much more powerful than the conventional GPS.

The HD map provides a three-dimensional street and environment image. The map data are stored in back-end data centers and updated constantly.
he HD map thus offers stable positioning through a representation of the surroundings independent of e.g. shadowing effects or a soiled sensor. It also provides information on road geometry or special traffic events such as roadworks. This high-precision map differs from maps for navigation devices by, among other things, its higher accuracy in the centimeter rather than meter range and its detailed intersection and track model.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class with optional Drive Pilot will debut in the first half of 2022. As such, the autonomous technology will subsequently be available in the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQS
Leave a Reply