UK (Commonwealth) _ While Tesla waits, Mercedes-Benz Group is the first foreign business to be granted permission to test Level 4 fully autonomous vehicles on Beijing roads.
According to the business, Mercedes-Benz Group has been authorized to conduct Level 4 completely autonomous car tests on specific highways and motorways in Beijing, China, making it the first international automaker to do so.
The authorization is given while electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla is still awaiting clearance to test its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology on Chinese roads.
According to Mercedes, Level 4 autonomous driving testing will include maneuvers like parking, doing U-turns, going through toll booths, changing lanes when a car ahead of you slows down, and more. According to the business, Level 4 enables an automobile to “do the driving for most scenarios without human takeover.”
Fully autonomous
These are regarded as completely autonomous and are capable of navigating without the assistance of a driver, however one may request to take control. Mercedes said that two S-Class automobiles fitted with millimeter-wave radar, lidar, and cameras will be used to test systems.
According to the company’s earlier statement, since 2021, it has been testing self-driving cars in a confined environment in China in order to modify its systems to accommodate the nation’s road infrastructure, which includes bus lanes for construction zones, traffic signs and markings, and algorithm optimizations.
According to the business, Level 4 enables an automobile to “do the driving for most scenarios without human takeover.” These are regarded as completely autonomous and are capable of navigating without the assistance of a driver, however one may request to take control. Mercedes said that two S-Class automobiles fitted with millimeter-wave radar, lidar, and cameras will be used to test systems.
According to the company’s earlier statement, since 2021, it has been testing self-driving cars in a confined environment in China in order to modify its systems to accommodate the nation’s road infrastructure, which includes bus lanes for construction zones, traffic signs and markings, and algorithm optimizations.
Mercedes was granted authorization in December of last year to conduct Level 3 vehicle tests in Beijing, which call for Level 3 cars, which need a human driver on hand in case they need to take control.
As of February, the city had opened more than 1,160 kilometers of public roads to trials involving 384 cars from 18 different businesses, according to Beijing Daily, the official state newspaper. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, traveled to China in April and requested authorization to run a fully autonomous robotaxi service there.
The business is organizing a robotaxi event for October, where it hopes to present a specially designed autonomous car. In April, sources stated that the business had made significant progress toward conducting autonomous systems tests in China, including obtaining permission for its road test license and gaining access to high-resolution maps.
There are already just a few thousand autonomous cars on American roads, while exact numbers are difficult to come by. The majority of these are being utilized to test their ability to drive themselves.
Approximately 1,400 self-driving cars, trucks, and other vehicles were being tested by 80 businesses in 36 states as of 2021. However, Mercedes-Benz became the first US carmaker to be approved by the government for a Level 3 driving feature in Nevada in January 2023. The fact that the automobile handles all of the driving and a driver just has to take over when necessary makes level 3 automation noteworthy. From Level 2, which mandates that drivers maintain their eyes on the road, this is a significant improvement.
Still in the testing stage, though, the market for completely autonomous vehicles is growing. The global market for autonomous vehicles (AVs) is now valued at $54 billion, with the sector growing by 16% annually. By 2040, 33 million autonomous cars will be on the road, predicts PolicyAdvice.
It appears that the American people are seeing the signs as well. By 2029, around half of Americans think most automobiles will be able to drive themselves.
Most modern automobiles are equipped with basic driver-assist features. These technologies prevent us from straying from our lane, assist us with timely stops through automated brakes, notify us when a car enters our blind zones, and even deter distracted driving. More sophisticated functions come with adaptive cruise control and parking assistance.
