Hamida Al-Ashgar’s Post

Mercedes’ new autonomous driving system is taking the self-driving concept quite literally. The automaker is the first in the US to sell cars with Level 3 autonomous technology that doesn’t require the driver to pay attention at all. While this will likely concern some, there are some serious parameters. It can only be used during daylight hours, on approved roads and while driving under 40 mph. It seems optimal for particularly slow traffic jams. If the system senses it needs the driver to step in, it will give back the control. If it’s such a sensitive system, is it really offering up that much? I think this is testing the technology in a safe and limited way, which could lead to increased consumer trust and eventually, could give way to more substantial AV systems. Would you try this level of self-driving technology? https://lnkd.in/erYN2gE9 #mercedes #selfdriving #AV #autonomousvehicles #autonomousdriving #level3autonomousdriving #selfdrivingcars

Can you imagine, online shopping or sipping your morning coffee while your car takes the wheel?🍵 Mercedes-Benz USA has made history by becoming the first automaker in the U.S. to sell self-driving cars that allow hands-free driving. Equipped with Drive Pilot technology, these vehicles are now hitting the roads in California and Nevada. This marks a major leap forward in #autonomous driving, with Mercedes leading the charge into Level 3 capabilities for consumers. 🚗 And they're not stopping there - Level 4 autonomy is on the horizon by 2030!🤯 What do you think? Are our streets ready for the era of fully autonomous vehicles? Share your thoughts! 🤔 #FutureMobility #ADAS

Mercedes-Benz becomes first automaker to sell Level 3 autonomous vehicles in the US - 💡 The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan is the first car to legally operate in automated mode without the need for driver intervention under certain conditions. - 🚗 The system, called Drive Pilot, is the first of its kind to be officially certified by German authorities. - 🛣️ The Level 3 autonomy feature allows the car to drive itself in certain situations while requiring the driver to be prepared to take control when needed.

Exclusive: Mercedes becomes the first automaker to sell autonomous cars in the U.S. that don’t come with a requirement that drivers watch the road: … driving technology.  The luxury automaker has become the first in … Mercedes is the first automaker selling to customers to achieve … level 4 capabilities. The automaker’s chief technology officer Markus … to consumers by 2030, Automotive News reported. But the … #car #cars #awesome

Scoop: A new level of autonomous driving is now in the hands of U.S. consumers. Mercedes has become the first in the nation to start selling the kind of self-driving cars that allow drivers a hands-free experience, after announcing plans to do so last year. Select dealerships are offering the cars in California and Nevada—the only states where Mercedes can legally sell the technology at this point in time. Drivers can activate the autonomous technology when certain conditions are met, including in heavy traffic jams, during the daytime, on specific California and Nevada freeways, and when the car is traveling less than 40 mph. How do you feel about being on the road with a self-driving car? Something about it makes me feel nervous, but I'm not totally sure I trust human drivers either, lol! For Fortune:

It's gong to be interesting to see how this technology matures over time. Autonomous driving, either of this variety or entirely autonomous (robotaxis), seems to be a technological Holy Grail many companies are trying to develop. "Mercedes-Benz has become the first automaker to sell vehicles with Level 3 autonomous driving technology directly to US consumers. The EQS and S-Class sedans come with a Drive Pilot feature that doesn't require users to keep their eyes on the road, unlike Tesla's Full Self-Driving beta." https://lnkd.in/gXJp2226

“GAC Aion is applying to obtain Level 3 automatic driving access and initiate on-road test drive, placing it at the forefront of China’s autonomous driving race, general manager Gu Huinan told Caixin Thursday. Part of GAC Group, the company is expected to join several automakers in becoming the first to conduct road tests on vehicles equipped with advanced Level 3 autonomous driving technology, a step towards introducing driverless cars to China’s roads. German carmakers Mercedes-Benz AG and BMW Group have already obtained licenses.” “So have domestic automakers Changan Automobile Co., BYD, Seres Group, BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology’s Arcfox, and Alibaba Group-backed IM Motors. Regulators in November set of guidelines for the launch of a pilot program aiming to speed up the commercialization of self-driving technologies. Under the regulation, intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) will be allowed to operate in designated areas on a trial basis if a permit is granted. The Chinese government divides autonomous driving technology into six categories, going from zero for fully manual to five for fully autonomous, much like standards set by the U.S.-based SAE International.” “Level 3 is defined as conditional autonomous driving, allowing for hands-off operation on highways and select urban roads. This is a sizeable leap from Level 2’s assisted driving, which still requires drivers to pay attention to road conditions ready to take control when necessary. Several Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, have issued the first batch of permits for Level 3 road tests. GAC Aion has set up a joint venture with Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global to mass produce fully self-driving electric robotaxis in the country. The joint venture will roll out a crossover electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) as its inaugural model and will produce the first batch in 2025, the company said in a statement Sunday.”

Honda Motor Co. announced plans to introduce a groundbreaking autonomous driving system in its upcoming "Honda 0" electric vehicle (EV) series, slated for launch in 2026. Their new "eyes-off" technology, classified as level 3 in autonomous driving, allows drivers to perform non-driving activities such as watching movies or reading books while the car operates autonomously on expressways. While this is planned for rollout within the decade, the system will eventually expand to other road types in the future. The technology utilizes AI to learn experienced driving behaviors, an upgrade from their revamped Legend sedan in 2021, the world's first level-3 autonomous driving vehicle that allows drivers to engage in activities other than driving. Outlining Honda's aims to remain a global leader, company president Toshihiro Mibe noted: "We need to create a value that allows us to win on the global stage." Honda's initiative aims to compete globally with leaders like Tesla and China's BYD, as part of its strategy to transition fully to EVs or fuel-cell vehicles by 2040. Will Honda's "eyes-off" technology be taking the steering wheel, placing their competitors in the backseat?

Tesla is set to host its Robotaxi event on October 10th. But what does a vehicle have to do to be categoried autonomous? Well, there are six levels of autonomous driving. Let's break it down to better understand where the technology is today and how is liability determined in case of accidents. At Level 0, there is no automation - vehicles are entirely controlled by human drivers. Level 1: Driver Assistance At this level, vehicles provide basic assistance such as adaptive cruise control or lane-keeping, but the driver is still responsible for most of the driving tasks. An example is Tesla’s Autopilot, which can assist with lane centering and traffic-aware cruise control but requires constant driver attention. Level 2: Partial Automation The vehicle can handle certain functions like steering, accelerating, and braking in specific scenarios, but the driver must be fully engaged and ready to take over at any time. Systems like GM’s Super Cruise or Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta currently operate at this level. Responsibility for accidents still firmly lies with the human driver. Level 3: Conditional Automation At this level, the vehicle can manage all driving tasks in certain conditions (e.g., highways), but it will alert the driver to take over when necessary. Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot is an example of Level 3 automation. Although the car can operate autonomously under specific conditions, liability is shared: the driver is responsible outside of these scenarios, while the manufacturer may assume more responsibility for accidents when the vehicle is in control. Level 4: High Automation Level 4 cars can drive autonomously without human intervention within defined areas or geofenced zones. Waymo (Google) and Cruise (GM) vehicles operate at this level in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco, where the car handles driving entirely in these environments. In these cases, when the car is within its operational limits, the liability for accidents generally shifts to the manufacturer or the operator of the vehicle, as no driver intervention is required. Level 5: Full Automation At this level, the vehicle is fully autonomous, capable of driving in any conditions without human input. In theory, full responsibility for driving - and liability for accidents - would transfer entirely to the car and its manufacturer. We are not there yet, but companies like Tesla and Waymo are actively pursuing this future. With Tesla’s upcoming event, it will be interesting to see how close they are to moving beyond Level 2/3 autonomy. Liability shifts dramatically as we advance through these levels, with the manufacturer bearing more responsibility as the vehicle becomes more autonomous. So far, we haven't seen many large-scale AI use cases that have transformed industries. Most of the benefits have been captured by the infrastructure providers for AI like Nvidia. Could autonomous driving be the breakthrough with a widespread impact that we’ve been waiting for?