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    },
    {
        "idx": 2,
        "result": "unsupported"
    }
]

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<reference>
Mercedes-Benz world’s first automotive company to certify SAE Level 3 system for U.S. market | Mercedes-Benz Group > Technology > Autonomous Driving > Driving

Mercedes-Benz is the world’s first automotive company to bring SAE Level 3 conditionally automated driving to the U.S., with Nevada being the first state to confirm the compliance of the system with state regulations.

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Technology

Autonomous Driving

Driving

Certification for SAE Level 3 system for U.S. market

As world’s first automotive company

Certification for SAE Level 3 system for U.S. market.

January 26, 2023 –

Mercedes-Benz is the world’s first automotive company to bring SAE Level 3¹ conditionally automated driving to the U.S., with Nevada being the first state to confirm the compliance of the system with state regulations. This significant milestone sets the ground-breaking Mercedes-Benz DRIVE PILOT system apart as the first and only SAE Level 3 system in a standard-production vehicle authorized for use on U.S. public freeways.

Complying with the requirements of Nevada Chapter 482A for Autonomous Vehicles, DRIVE PILOT will allow the driver to hand over the dynamic driving task to the vehicle under certain conditions. Mercedes-Benz has the ambition to continue to expand to California later this year with the certification documents already filed with state authorities. DRIVE PILOT will be available in the U.S. market as an option for model year 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS Sedan models, with the first cars delivered to customers in the second half of 2023.

In the modern world, time is one of the most precious commodities, and giving back time to our customers is a core element in our strategy to build the world’s most desirable cars. Our DRIVE PILOT takes a major step forward in achieving that, and places us at the very forefront of innovation in the crucially important field of automated driving. DRIVE PILOT demonstrates once more that our pioneering spirit is part of our DNA. Certification in Nevada marks the start of its international rollout and, with it, the dawning of a new era.

Markus Schäfer
Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer, responsible for Development and Procurement

On suitable freeway sections and where there is high traffic density, DRIVE PILOT can offer to take over the dynamic driving task, up to the speed of 40 mph. The control buttons needed for this are located in the steering wheel rim, on the left and right above the thumb recesses. Once conditions are suitable, the system indicates availability on the control buttons. When the driver activates DRIVE PILOT, the 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 maneuvers within the lane or by braking maneuvers.

LiDAR sensor and redundant systems

The top priority for Mercedes-Benz when introducing such a system is safety, which includes high demands on operational reliability. DRIVE PILOT builds on the surround sensors of the Driving Assistance Package and comprises additional sensors that Mercedes-Benz considers indispensable for safe conditionally automated driving. These include LiDAR, as well as a camera in the rear window and microphones for detecting emergency vehicles, as well as a road wetness sensor in the wheel well. A vehicle equipped with the optional DRIVE PILOT system also has redundant steering and braking actuators and a redundant on-board electrical system, so that it remains maneuverable even if one of these systems fails and a safe handover to the driver can be ensured.

If the driver fails to take back control even after increasingly urgent prompting and expiration of the takeover time (e.g., due to a severe health problem), the system brakes the vehicle to a standstill in a controlled manner while engaging the hazard warning lights. Once the vehicle has come to a standstill, the Mercedes-Benz emergency call system is activated and the doors are unlocked to make the interior accessible for first responders.

DRIVE PILOT will allow the driver to hand over the dynamic driving task to the vehicle under certain conditions. .

On suitable freeway sections and where there is high traffic density, DRIVE PILOT can offer to take over the dynamic driving task, up to the speed of 40 mph.

High-precision positioning system

The exact location of a Mercedes-Benz equipped with DRIVE PILOT is determined using a high-precision positioning system that is much more powerful than conventional GPS systems. In addition to the anonymised data collected by LiDAR, camera, radar and ultrasound sensors, a digital HD map provides a three-dimensional image of the road and the surroundings with information on road geometry, route characteristics, traffic signs and special traffic events (e.g. accidents or road works). This is made available and updated via a backend connection.

This high-precision map differs from maps for navigation devices by, among other things, its higher accuracy in the centimetre rather than metre range and its detailed junction and route model. The map data is stored in backend data centres and updated constantly. Each vehicle also stores an image of this map information on board, constantly compares it with the backend data and updates the local dataset as required. All of this enables stable and accurate positioning through a representation of the surroundings that is independent of factors such as shadows or dirty sensors.

A powerful chipset inside the central control unit provides the necessary sophisticated software functions for conditionally automated driving while important algorithms are calculated redundantly within the framework of a modern security architecture.

Conditionally automated driving on suitable freeway sections

During the conditionally automated journey, DRIVE PILOT allows the driver to take their mind off the traffic and focus on certain secondary activities². When DRIVE PILOT is active, applications can be enabled on the vehicle's integrated central display that are otherwise blocked while driving.

Initially introduced in Germany in May 2022, the highly sophisticated Mercedes-Benz DRIVE PILOT system was the first SAE Level 3 system in the world to meet the demanding legal requirements of UN R157. The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) first granted
system approval
based on the regulation UN R157, paving the way for offering DRIVE PILOT internationally³, where legislation allows.

¹SAE Level 3: the automated driving function takes over certain driving tasks. However, a driver is still required. The driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle at all times when prompted to intervene by the vehicle.

²Which secondary activities of the driver are legally permissible depends on the respective national road traffic regulations.

³ECE contracting states (57) incl. states of the EU, GB, Japan, Korea, Australia

Safe conditionally automated driving.

When it comes to conditionally automated driving (SAE Level 3), safety and reliability are the top priorities for Mercedes-Benz.

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The Mercedes-Benz Group.

The
Mercedes-Benz Group AG
(former
Daimler AG
) is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With
Mercedes-Benz AG
, the Group offers a wide range of high-end passenger cars and premium vans.
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services
is another key pillar of the Group and plays a central role in the financial services business.

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[1] Net carbon-neutral means that carbon emissions that have neither been avoided nor reduced at the Mercedes-Benz Group are compensated for by certified offsetting projects.

[2] Renewable Charging is an integral part of MB.CHARGE Public in Europe, the USA, Canada and China. If electricity from renewable energies is not yet available at the respective charging station, Renewable Charging uses Energy Attribute Certificates*. These ensure that an equivalent amount of electricity from renewable energies is fed into the power grid for charging processes via MB.CHARGE Public. They are from wind and solar power plants which are less than six years old.
* Incl. EKOenergy ecolabel

* The specified values were determined in accordance with the WLTP (Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure) measurement method. The ranges given refer to ECE markets. The energy consumption and CO₂ emissions of a car depend not only on the efficient utilisation of the fuel or energy source by the car, but also on the driving style and other non-technical factors.

** Electric energy consumption and range have been determined on the basis of Regulation (EC) No. 692/2008 according to NEDC. Electric energy consumption and range depend on the vehicle configuration.

*** Data on electrical consumption and range are provisional and were determined internally in accordance with the “WLTP test procedure” certification method. So far there are no confirmed figures from an officially approved testing organisation, nor any EC type approval or certificate of conformity with official figures. Differences between the stated figures and the official figures are possible.
</reference>

<statements>
1. In the United States, Mercedes-Benz reports Nevada compliance confirmation in January 2023 and California certification in June 2023, with a 40 mph ceiling and first deliveries in late 2023.
2. The U.S. description adds that if the driver fails to resume control after increasingly urgent prompting and expiration of the takeover time, the system brakes to a controlled standstill, activates hazard lights, triggers the emergency-call system, and unlocks doors for first responders.
3. Mercedes-Benz describes DRIVE PILOT as allowing the driver to focus on certain secondary activities while the system is active, with controls on the steering wheel and applications enabled on the central display
4. NHTSA’s consumer guidance says higher-level systems are not widely available to consumers, while Mercedes-Benz reports Level 3 certifications and model-year availability in Nevada and California.
5. A safer rule would require a minimum takeover window, explicit HMI communication of remaining time, and a certified minimal-risk maneuver if the human does not respond, as in the Mercedes fallback description
6. If a Level 3 product performs a full minimal-risk maneuver without requiring human takeover, regulators should treat it functionally as Level 4 within its domain and allocate responsibility accordingly
</statements>

Begin the assessment now. Output only the JSON list, without any conversational text or explanations.