The system is set to launch in late 2023 on a limited fleet of EQS sedan models in California and Nevada – where it has been formally approved for use. In early 2024, the OEM then plans to launch model year 2024 EQS Sedan and S-Class models equipped with the system to authorized dealers in California and Nevada. Following its initial launch in these two states, Mercedes-Benz will then look to launch the ADAS in additional U.S. markets.

Drive Pilot itself enables the vehicle to take over control of the dynamic driving task at speeds of up to 40 mph (64 km/h) on suitable freeway sections and in high-density traffic. Upon activation, it independently controls both the vehicle’s speed and distance while maintaining its lane position. During these operations, the driver can access certain infotainment apps from the center display that are otherwise blocked when the vehicle is driving.

While building on the OEM’s existing Driver Assistance Package, Drive Pilot also utilizes a suite of safety sensors – including a LiDAR sensor, rear window camera, microphones that detect emergency vehicles, and a road wetness sensor in the wheel. Supporting this hardware is a set of redundancies that work together to ensure the driving task is safely handed back to the user, including redundant steering and braking actuators as well as a redundant on-board electric system to ensure maneuverability if one of these systems fails.

As it rolls out, Drive Pilot will be installed on select EQS and S-Class models at the factory, with the driver then unlocking and activating it through the Mercedes me connect store. Here, the system will be offered through a subscription model that will start at $2,500 (£2,407 / €2,371). While Mercedes-Benz confirmed that it will offer additional pricing plans for the system at a later date, details on these have not yet been provided. In opting for a subscription model over a one-time purchase, Mercedes-Benz said that it will provide flexibility for users who may activate Drive Pilot in California or Nevada, use it, and then move to a state where it has not yet been approved – at which point they can cancel their subscription accordingly.

While sharing details on its planned rollout for Drive Pilot in the U.S., Mercedes-Benz also provided new insights into the system’s key safety features – including a high-precision positioning system that determines the precise location of the vehicle within a range of inches. A digital HD map provides further safety support, working alongside the data collected by its sensor suite to develop a three-dimensional image of the road ahead and its surroundings.

This map additionally provides information on the road’s geometry, route characteristics, traffic signs, and details on special traffic events (such as road accidents and construction zones). This information is stored in backend data centers, and consistently updated to ensure Drive Pilot remains accurate while the vehicle stores a copy of this information on-board, comparing it with the backend data and updating the local dataset as necessary.

The system will be available to the OEM’s U.S. customers as an optional feature for its 2024 Mercedes‑Benz S-Class and EQS Sedan models, with the first cars expected to begin deliveries in late 2023. Its announcement follows the system gaining approval from authorities in Nevada earlier in the year, while Drive Pilot’s California approval represents the next step in the automaker’s goal to expand its availability in the future.

During a conditionally automated journey, Drive Pilot allows the driver to shift their focus toward certain secondary activities. When active, in-vehicle infotainment applications that are otherwise blocked while driving can be viewed on the vehicle’s integrated central display.

On suitable freeway sections, and areas where there is high traffic density, the system can offer to take over the dynamic driving task at speeds up to 40 mph (64 km/h). When handling this task, the system more specifically controls the vehicle speed and distance while guiding it within its lane. The route profile, events occurring on the route and traffic signs are correspondingly taken into consideration. Drive Pilot can also react to unexpected traffic situations – handling them independently through evasive maneuvers within the lane or by braking maneuvers.

If the driver fails to take back control, even after increasingly urgent prompts shown as the system requests that they take over driving, the system brakes the vehicle to a standstill while engaging the hazard warning lights. Once it has come to a complete stop, the Mercedes‑Benz emergency call system is activated and the doors are unlocked to ensure the vehicle is accessible for first responders.

Drive Pilot ultimately builds on the surround sensors offered in the OEM’s Driver Assistance Package and comprises additional sensors – such as LiDAR, a rear-window camera, microphones for detecting emergency vehicles, and a road wetness sensor. Vehicles equipped with the system also have redundant steering and braking actuators, and a redundant on-board electrical system, to help it remain maneuverable – even if one of these systems fails and a safe handover to the driver can be ensured.

Through the renewed deal, Mercedes-Benz is now planning to integrate the next generation of Iris, and its associated software, across many of its future vehicle lines by 2025. For the OEM, Iris will support a new conditionally automated driving system for freeways and enhanced ADAS designed for urban environments. When integrating Iris into its future vehicles, Mercedes-Benz will look to simplify the design integration using a sleeker profile.

Ultimately, both companies are looking to strongly enhance the technical capabilities and safety of new conditionally automated driving systems – supporting safe driving practices in turn. While no specific financial details were shared on the expanded partnership, Luminar has described it as a multi-billion-dollar deal.

After activating DRIVE PILOT, the system controls the speed and distance and guides the vehicle within its lane. The route profile, events occurring on the route, and traffic signs are all analyzed and taken into consideration. DRIVE PILOT also reacts to unexpected traffic situations and handles them independently, e.g. by means of evasive maneuvers within the lane or by using braking maneuvers. Mercedes-Benz’s system for conditionally automated driving (SAE-Level 3) builds on the vehicle sensing technology of the Driving Assistance Package and includes additional sensors that the manufacturer considers indispensable for safe operation. These mainly include radar, LiDAR and cameras, but ultrasound and moisture sensors also provide valuable data. In parallel to the successful launch of DRIVE PILOT in Germany, Mercedes-Benz aims to obtain regulatory series approval for the two US states of California and Nevada by the end of the year, provided the legal situation permits the system operation.

Conditionally automated vehicle operation according to SAE-Level 3 requires a system design that must enable any malfunctions – both simple and more serious – to be managed safely. The redundant architecture includes the brake system, the steering, the power supply as well as parts of the sensor technology such as those for environment awareness and driving dynamics calculation. The battery, steering motor, wheel speed sensors and the various algorithms used by the system to calculate the data also have a redundant design. In addition, parts of the sensor technology are also functionally redundant, as they complement each other with their different physical concepts (e.g. optical, ultrasonic, radio waves), thereby enabling safe transfer. Mercedes-Benz is thus setting entirely new standards of safety in automated driving.

In the unlikely event of a malfunction, the vehicle remains manoeuvrable due to its redundant system design, allowing DRIVE PILOT to perform a safe handover to the driver. If the driver does not comply with the takeover request within the maximum allotted time of ten seconds, for example due to a medical emergency, DRIVE PILOT promptly initiates an emergency stop that is safe both for the vehicle and the following traffic. For this purpose, the Intelligent Drive Controller continuously calculates the optimum trajectory for coming to a safe stop. Meanwhile, the manoeuvrability of DRIVE PILOT is designed to keep the vehicle within its lane and avoid collisions with other road users and objects on the road.

The exact location of a Mercedes 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 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.

Mercedes-Benz is ensuring that the new technology is being put on the road in a legally compliant manner. Engineers, lawyers, compliance managers, data protection officers and ethics experts have all worked together in the development process. One basis for automated driving is provided by additional control mechanisms, for example: For safety-relevant functions such as pedestrian detection, the Mercedes-Benz’ engineers deliberately do not use algorithms, for example through self-learning approaches. The focus is mores on what is known as “supervised learning” – that means Mercedes-Benz defines and control what the artificial intelligence is allowed to learn. Before the AI software is used on the roads, extensive validation testing is carried out to ensure that the AI works as desired in real traffic conditions. In the case of pedestrian detection, AI helps the system to identify objects and situations on and next to the road quickly and safely. The car manufacturer’s ethical requirement is that the detection process is non-discriminatory. This means that the vehicle’s various sensors permanently monitor the road and the roadside, to always detect people correctly, regardless of their clothing, body size, posture or other characteristics.

With the opening up of the Road Traffic Act (StVG) for Level 3 systems in 2017, Germany was the first country to create a legal basis for the intended use of these systems. The technical approval regulation with which such a system can be certified did not come into force until the beginning of 2021. Since then, it can be implemented in Europe – an opportunity that Mercedes-Benz was quick, and the first manufacturer, to seize. Mercedes-Benz is the first automotive company in the world to meet the demanding legal requirements of UN Regulation No. 157 for a Level 3 system.

In detail, this results in requirements for the vehicle and duties for the driver: In conditional automated driving mode, the vehicle must master the driving task safely and comply with all traffic regulations. The driver still has duties in public road traffic, in particular to comply with other traffic regulations. To this end, the driver must remain ready to take over and resume control when requested by DRIVE PILOT or due to obvious circumstances.

With numerous technical innovations, Mercedes-Benz has constantly set the benchmark in automotive safety ever since we invented the motor car in 1886. Safety is one of the brand’s core values. For example, Mercedes‑Benz has been offering advanced driver assistance systems (SAE-Level 2) in its vehicles for years. They can make life much easier in many everyday situations and assist with speed and distance control, steering or lane changes, for example. Mercedes-Benz was the world’s first car manufacturer to receive internationally valid system approval for conditionally automated driving in December 2021. And when it comes to parking, the brand goes one step further – with the pre-installation of the INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT, which will enable fully automated, driverless parking to SAE-Level 4 in the future.

^[1] SAE 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.

The news follows the OEM meeting the necessary legal requirements to achieve UN-R157, a U.N regulation that sets standards and benchmarks around L3 autonomous technologies. Having met its requirements, the OEM can now deploy Drive Pilot internationally, subject to national legislation.

If the particular national legislation allows it, Drive Pilot can operate in a conditionally automated driving mode at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on select motorway stretches and heavy traffic situations. Mercedes-Benz expects the feature to be available in Germany in the first half of 2022, with plans to apply for regulatory approval in California and Nevada to launch it in the U.S.

In assisting Drive Pilot, Valeo’s second-generation LiDAR system provides further support, adapting to a number of light conditions and changing in accordance with the level of light it perceives. This functionality will enable Drive Pilot to remain operational during strong sunlight and total darkness.

The sensor works by measuring the distance to surrounding objects by calculating the time it takes its laser beam to travel to and from an obstacle. Upon completing this calculation, SCALA 2 develops a 3D image of the vehicle’s surroundings. The image is then analyzed by a series of algorithms that identify each object, distinguishing between moving and static objects. It then classifies these objects into different categories – including cars, trucks, buses, bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians, and infrastructure, capturing their shape and position.

SCALA 2 measures the speed of moving objects and continuously tracks them, predicting their behavior and trajectory. The system similarly anticipates open space where the car can drive safely while detecting small objects on the road to avoid accidents. A specific algorithm built into the sensor similarly recognizes road markings based on their contrast with the road around them.

With its software, the LiDAR can transform its raw data into useful data – eliminating any data that could alter its calculations. This allows it to cancel out any echoes caused by raindrops on its light pulse, enabling it to see through the rain and measure the density of a rain shower. The software can also troubleshoot itself, with an exclusive cleaning heating system triggered when its field of vision is blocked by dust or debris.

Through the partnership, Mercedes-Benz intends to industrialize and integrate Luminar’s LiDAR technology into its series production vehicles. The partnership will also see the OEM enable Luminar with a data driven development approach for continuous product improvement and updates.

The OEM plans to utilize this approval to launch its Drive Pilot system in 2022 with the new S-Class and EQS EV. It allows the vehicle to drive in a conditionally automated mode at speeds of up to 37 mph (60 km/h) in heavy traffic or congested situations on select stretches of German motorways. While the system is running, the user can interact with their vehicle’s central display to shop online or process e-mails through the in-car office. Applications enabled on the vehicle’s integrated central display during Drive Pilot operations are otherwise blocked while driving.

Drive Pilot’s relevant controls will be located on the steering wheel rim, on the left and right, above the thumb recesses. When activated, the system controls speed and distance while guiding the vehicle within its lane. The route profile, events occurring on it, and traffic signs are taken into equal consideration. Drive Pilot also reacts to unexpected traffic situations and can handle them independently.

Building on the surround sensors offered in Mercedes-Benz’s Driving Assistance Package, DRIVE PILOT adds further sensors to facilitate its autonomous driving functions. These include LiDAR, a rear window camera and microphones, which can, together, detect signals from emergency vehicles, as well as a wetness sensor in the wheel well.

The system operates based on a variety of data. In addition to receiving data from these sensors, Drive Pilot sources road geometry, route profile, traffic sign, and unusual traffic event information from a HD map. This is made available and updated via a backend connection. The S-Class with the optional Drive Pilot also features redundant steering and braking systems alongside a redundant on-board electrical system. These technologies allow the vehicle to remain maneuverable even if one of these systems fail and ensure the driving task is safely handed back to the driver.

If the driver fails to take back control even after increasingly urgent prompting and expiry of the takeover time, the system brakes and decelerates the vehicle to a standstill. Once it has come to a standstill, the hazard warning lights are switched on, the emergency call system is activated, and the doors and windows are unlocked to provide easy interior access for any first responders.

Mercedes-Benz is initially offering Drive Pilot on more than 8,000 miles (13,191 kilometres) of motorway in Germany and is already conducting test drives in other regions, including the U.S. and China. However, Drive Pilot will not be introduced in these markets until a domestic legal framework for conditionally automated operation is introduced.

A key element of the technology behind Drive Pilot is a high-precision positioning system that works to pinpoint the location of the new S-Class and enhance system reliability. Data obtained from satellite navigation is matched with sensor data and data from an HD map.

This map provides a three-dimensional view of the streets and environment around the vehicle. Its data is stored in back-end data centers and continually updated. Each vehicle also stores an image of this map information on board to compare it with the backend data, updating it when necessary, to provide stable positioning through a representation of the vehicle’s surroundings. This also provides another data source in the event of shadowing effects from the camera or an unresponsive sensor. This use case is also applicable to other information, including road geometry and special traffic events.

Daimler shareholders are to receive one additional share in Daimler Truck Holding AG, the global market leader for commercial vehicles, for every two shares they hold in Daimler AG. Daimler will retain a minority interest of 35% in Daimler Truck Holding AG and intends to transfer 5% to Daimler Pension Trust e.V., a registered association according to German law.

The Daimler shareholders will decide on this realignment of their company at an extraordinary general meeting on 1 October this year. In this context, a decision is also to be made on renaming Daimler AG as Mercedes-Benz Group AG as of 1 February 2022. This step is intended to emphasize the future focus of the company on the car and van business with the Mercedes-Benz brand as well as the sub-brands Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes-EQ.

Sound capitalization and high liquidity

Right from the start, Daimler Truck Holding AG will have a sound financial position with high levels of capital and liquidity. As of 1 January 2021, shareholders’ equity on a pro-forma basis (IFRS) amounted to approximately €11.1 billion, equivalent to an equity ratio of 22%.
Daimler AG will equip Daimler Truck Holding AG with a net liquidity of €5 billion until the end of the year, targeting a solid investment-grade rating.

The Board of Management of Daimler Truck Holding AG should be identical to the current Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG. The current Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG is headed by Martin Daum as CEO. Karin Rådström is responsible for the Europe and Latin America regions and the Mercedes-Benz Truck brand. John O’Leary, CEO of Daimler Trucks North America, heads the North America region and the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses brands. Hartmut Schick, CEO of Daimler Trucks Asia, is responsible for the Asia region and the FUSO and BharatBenz brands. Andreas Gorbach leads the Truck Technology Group. Stephan Unger is responsible for Financial Services. Jochen Götz heads Finance and Controlling and Jürgen Hartwig the Human Resources department.

Mercedes-Benz: claim to leadership in electric mobility, software and profitability

The remaining Daimler AG – to be renamed as Mercedes-Benz Group AG – with a global workforce of around 170,000 people will concentrate on the business with cars and vans. The company’s global production network comprises 35 production sites on four continents, including the global battery production network, plus further research, development and design centres. Mercedes-Benz has the ambition to build the world’s most desirable cars and to lead the way in electric mobility and vehicle software. This goes hand in hand with ambitious profitability targets. Today’s Daimler division Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, the core of the future Daimler Group, generated revenue of €55.0 billion and EBIT of €7.5 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2021. After the separation of Daimler Truck Financial Services, todays Daimler Mobility AG will be renamed Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG. This reflects the focus on customers of Mercedes-Benz cars and vans in some 40 markets worldwide, providing tailored financing, leasing and mobility solutions to strengthen customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Daimler assumes that the shares of Daimler AG will continue to fulfil the criteria for the DAX30. At the same time, the shares of Daimler Truck Holding AG – after the listing in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange – are expected to be included in the DAX at the first possible date, probably in the first quarter of 2022. The DAX is likely to be enlarged to 40 members.  

The Road Safety Dashboard leverages a combination of ultrasound and radar sensors, alongside stereo cameras, to detect objects in the vehicle’s proximity. With these technologies, the dashboard can detect vehicles driving ahead, crossing, approaching from behind or oncoming. It can also detect pedestrians, road markings, and various types of traffic signs. 

The dashboard is based on individual alerts from advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which can intervene in dangerous traffic situations to reduce the severity of collisions or avoid them entirely. If there is an accumulation of these interventions in a certain traffic area, patterns may emerge that the Road Safety Dashboard can analyze. 

If an auditory or visual warning is issued, or if the vehicle’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system is engaged, the vehicle’s ADAS data is anonymized and sent to Mercedes-Benz’s cloud server. Two algorithms then process this data in the backend. Firstly, the GPS positions with the accumulations of occurred interventions are identified. These potential collision blackspots are then thoroughly analyzed, and a risk score is calculated. Afterwards, the anonymized data is logged, integrated, and portrayed within the Road Safety Dashboard as a digital map. 

This data is then enriched with additional data provided by the city of London. This includes information about existing traffic infrastructure such as traffic lights or pedestrian crossings, previous vehicle collisions, as well as vehicle, cyclist, and pedestrian density. Through this data, the Road Safety Dashboard identifies where action should be taken. It focuses primarily on the most vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists), prioritizing incidents in zones around schools, nurseries, and universities in London. 

Mercedes-Benz’s Urban Mobility Solutions team can integrate further features into the Road Safety Dashboard, including the ability to measure traffic volume, or provide a warning ahead of an area with slippery roads. Following its successful deployment in London, corresponding projects are underway in several cities across Europe. 

Recently named to the 2021 CB Insights AI 100 List of the world’s most innovative AI startups and winner of the Most Outstanding Autonomous Vehicle Technology Innovation at the 2021 Tech.AD Europe Awards, Algolux will cooperate with 20 world-class partners on the OEM and supplier level over a period of three years to enable Level 4 autonomy for mass-market vehicles. The intent is to build a novel robust sensor system supported by artificial intelligence enhanced vehicle vision for low visibility conditions.

Without proven safety for all road users, the vision of autonomous driving will not be realized. Automated vehicles can be ready for market introduction only if they can operate in a reliable manner at all times; this requires an all-conditions capable Autonomous Driving system that can ensure safe travel in every relevant weather and lighting condition such as snow, heavy rain, or fog. Employing a multisensory data fusion approach, the sensor data acquired will be fused and simulated by means of sophisticated AI algorithms tailored to adverse weather perception needs. This novel sensing system and an HD dynamic map will enable localization performance in bad weather conditions in 24h/365-day mode.

To help the AI-SEE project meet its objectives, Algolux will provide technology and domain expertise in the areas of deep learning AI algorithms, fusion of data from distinct sensor types, long-range stereo sensing, and radar signal processing. A critical objective of advanced driving systems is the recognition of all road users in challenging weather conditions.

Existing sensing systems fail in such cases as fusion cannot be performed due to a lack of redundant information For example, sensor measurements that are distorted in one measurement (e.g. LiDAR backscatter in snow) may not be distorted in others (intensity camera). To overcome this issue, and at the same time offer redundancy in good conditions, Algolux relies on a smart fusion approach which represents the control center or “brain” of the system, thereby enabling a more robust perception platform that can be used in any lighting or weather conditions.

The project’s innovations will not only greatly strengthen Europe’s competitiveness by enabling the market introduction of L4 automation by 2030, it will also save time and development costs.

Thus, AI-SEE has the possibility to become a game-changer in the global race for automated vehicles to first enter the market and pave the way for safe automated driving.

The project will be co-funded by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), Business Finland, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF under the PENTA EURIPIDES² label endorsed by EUREKA.

The aim of the agreement is to enable Mercedes-Benz customers to maximise the investment car owners have made in their vehicle’s ADAS, when they shop for insurance, by allowing the insurance sector to understand exactly how a vehicle is equipped, at the point of quote.

To this end, when a customer requests a quote for insurance and agrees to the processing of equipment-related information, LexisNexis Risk Solutions will check for the presence of ADAS features related to that specific vehicle via an API provided by Mercedes-Benz Connectivity Services GmbH so that this insight can be fed into the insurance market’s quoting systems. 

As data protection is always given the highest priority by Mercedes-Benz Connectivity Services and by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, the organisations have implemented the appropriate mechanisms and processes to protect the customer’s privacy when processing the vehicle’s features’ information.

LexisNexis Risk Solutions will normalise and provide the outcome from the OEM data to insurance providers in a secure and compliant manner, delivered through its LexisNexis® Vehicle Build solution.

LexisNexis Vehicle Build harnesses the company’s proprietary ADAS Classification System, which simplifies the myriad names and capabilities of ADAS from all car makers. The company aggregates and normalises the data, offering more specific ADAS data than available by VIN alone. Vehicle Build confirms the availability of ADAS at a VIN level and has been tested by insurers across Europe over several millions of vehicles and claims.

The new agreement underlines the power of advancing vehicle safety features in delivering more personalised insurance services to consumers based on vehicle-centric data. According to SBD Automotive, across Europe, the average number of ADAS features offered on a given new model increased from 4.2 in 2017 to 7.1 in 2020. LexisNexis internal research shows that beyond number of features, the type and combination of ADAS features can provide greater precision in managing insurance risk.

The Drive pilot system contains Veoneer’s 4th generation stereo vision camera system, comprised by fully integrated hardware and perception software to master the challenges of highly automated driving. The system also contains Veoneer’s advanced 77GHz radars using super-pulse modulation techniques for enhanced perception, operating at a distance up to 150-meters with high range resolution and supreme angular accuracy.

Veoneer’s 4^th generation stereo vision camera system uses Convolutional Neural Network technology for free space and small obstacle detection to maneuver safely. The stereo vision camera processes and classifies 3D objects (vehicles, motorbikes, pedestrians, lanes, landmarks, signals, posts, etc.) under a variety of weather conditions.  Veoneer’s 77GHz radar, generation 1.2, have 50% more range in the rear corners to detect motorcycles and over 100% more range in the front corners, compared to its predecessor.

Daimler has invested hundreds of millions of Euros per year in research and development, for assistance systems to provide even greater assistance to drivers in their work and increase safety for all road users. Most recent examples include Active Sideguard Assist with automated braking function and Active Drive Assist 2 with automatic emergency stop function which the company presented to the world last autumn. With immediate effect customers in 24 EU countries and selected non-EU markets can order the new safety assistance systems for a number of Mercedes-Benz trucks for which these systems are available. Production starts in June 2021.

Sideguard Assist from Mercedes-Benz on the market since 2016

Being on the road in a heavy truck in city traffic, sometimes on narrow roads and with confusing intersections is a challenge for many professional drivers. This especially applies to turning manoeuvres. The driver needs to pay attention to traffic lights, signage as well as oncoming and cross traffic in front and also pedestrians and cyclists to the side. The problem: vulnerable traffic participants are often unaware that a truck driver may not even be able to see them in certain situations. In addition, heavy trucks with large wheelbases or trailers often turn off in a way that is not easily understood by other traffic participants: before turning, trucks first drive straight ahead into the intersection, to make allowance for the trail characteristics of the semi-trailer or trailer. A cyclist or pedestrian crossing on the co-driver side of the truck therefore sometimes doesn’t even think that the truck is going to turn off, but assumes that it’s going to continue straight on.

In such situations, Sideguard Assist (S1R), developed by Mercedes-Benz Trucks and available ex works for many Actros, Arocs and Econic model variants since 2016, can intervene in a helpful way. Sideguard Assist can warn the driver by means of a multi-stage process during a right turn in case the system recognises, for example, a pedestrian or cyclist in the monitoring zone on the co-driver’s side.

New: Active Sideguard Assist with automated braking application

From June 2021 Sideguard Assist (S1R) will be replaced on the majority of Actros and Arocs models by the new Active Sideguard Assist (S1X) equipped with a further function that could, under certain circumstances, save lives: Active Sideguard Assist (ASGA), available from production month June, can not only warn the driver of moving pedestrians or cyclists on the co-driver’s side, but also initiate an automated braking manoeuvre at turning speeds of up to 20 km/h, bringing the vehicle to a standstill should the driver not respond to the warning tones. Active Sideguard Assist recognises the need for this intervention from the angle of the steering wheel and, ideally, prevents any collision. Mercedes-Benz Trucks is the first truck manufacturer in the world to offer such a system with active braking function, thus making its contribution toward further reducing the number of serious injuries or even deaths caused by accidents when vehicles are turning.

New: Active Drive Assist 2 with emergency stop function

Active Drive Assist (ADA) also represents a step forward in terms of safety – this is the system which in 2018 made the new Actros the world’s first series truck to be capable of partially automated driving (SAE level 2). Under certain preconditions it actively supports the driver in the longitudinal and lateral guidance of the truck and can automatically maintain the distance to the vehicle ahead, accelerate and also steer if the necessary system conditions such as sufficient curve radius or clearly visible road markings are met. If the driver comes too close to a vehicle in front, ADA can automatically brake the truck until the pre-determined minimum distance has been re-established. Once that is the case, the system can then re-accelerate the truck up to the pre-determined speed.

Available from June 2021, the newest-generation ADA 2 can do even more: the system is capable of initiating an emergency stop if it recognises that the driver has not been actively involved in the driving process for a longer period of time, e.g. due to health problems. First the system requests the driver via visual and acoustic signals to place his or her hands on the wheel. But if he or she does not respond after 60 seconds, even after multiple warnings, by braking, steering, accelerating or operating the vehicle systems via the buttons on the steering wheel, within its limits the system can brake until the truck safely comes to a standstill within its lane while warning the following vehicles using the hazard lights. The emergency stop manoeuvre initiated by the system can be stopped by using a kick-down at any time. If the truck comes to a standstill, the system can automatically engage the new electronic parking brake. In addition, the doors are unlocked so that paramedics and other first responders can directly reach the driver in case of a medical emergency.

Active Brake Assist 5 – emergency braking assistant for motorways and city traffic

Active Sideguard Assist’s automatic braking intervention and Active Drive Assist 2’s automatic emergency stop are not to be confused with Active Brake Assist 5’s emergency braking function. ABA 5 works with a combination of radar and camera systems. Compared to ABA 4, it can respond to moving persons not only with a partial, but with an automated full-stop braking manoeuvre up to a vehicle speed of 50 km/h.

If ABA 5 recognises the danger of an accident with a preceding vehicle, a stationary obstacle or a pedestrian that is either oncoming, crossing, walking in their own lane or suddenly stopping in shock, an visual or acoustic warning can be issued to the driver first. If the driver does not adequately respond, the system can then initiate a partial braking manoeuvre in a second step, with a speed reduction of up to three metres per second, which corresponds to approx. 50 percent of maximum braking performance. If a collision is imminent nonetheless, within system limits ABA 5 can perform an automatic emergency full-stop braking manoeuvre and then engage the new electronic parking brake after reaching a standstill.

The following applies to all safety assistance systems by Mercedes-Benz Trucks: they are all designed to support the driver as much as possible within the system limits – however, and in accordance with the law, the driver remains fully and finally responsible for his or her vehicle.

That assistance systems which can actively support the driver in situations that the system recognises as critical can have a positive effect on road safety, was demonstrated by a field test which was carried out between 2008 and 2012 by the German Federal Association for Freight Transport, Logistics and Waste Disposal, the Trade Association for the Transport Industry (Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung, der Berufsgenossenschaft für Transport und Verkehrswirtschaft) and the Kravag insurance company with more than 1000 vehicles: it showed that the probability of trucks equipped with driver assistance systems being involved in an accident was up to 34 percent lower than for reference vehicles of the same type.

The visionary concept is based on a self-driving, electrically powered chassis that can take different switchable bodies for people moving or goods transport. As a ride-sharing vehicle, Vision URBANETIC can accommodate up to twelve passengers, while the cargo module can carry up to ten EPAL pallets.

Fully networked and part of a comprehensive ecosystem

As a fully networked vehicle, Vision URBANETIC is part of an ecosystem in which commercial and private mobility wishes are transmitted digitally. Vision URBANETIC collates these needs and fulfils them with a highly flexible fleet, facilitating a considerable improvement in the use of resources.

Two interchangeable modules for people and goods

Vision URBANETIC is equipped with different interchangeable bodies depending on purpose of use. As a ride-sharing vehicle with a people-mover body, Vision URBANETIC offers space for up to twelve passengers. The modules are switched either automatically or manually, with the automated process taking just a few minutes. The system is based on an autonomous driving platform onto which the respective bodies are fixed. It incorporates all the driving functions, meaning the autonomous chassis can also make its way to its next job location without a body attached. Absolute safety is guaranteed by redundant components for all relevant actions such as steering, braking and acceleration.

The cargo module serves as a classic goods transporter. Thanks to its variable load floor, it can be divided into two levels and transport up to ten EPAL palettes. The load space has a volume of 10 m³. Alternatively, the vehicle can be fitted with fully automated cargo-space systems and used as a mobile package station for last-mile deliveries. Multiple further use cases are also conceivable as the concept can be equipped with a wide array of bodies for other sectors and applications.

Wide-ranging interaction builds trust in autonomous driving

Vision URBANETIC uses car-to-x communication via a standardised platform to interact with other vehicles and road users and to recognise road signs and traffic signals. Interaction with the passengers is more complex as they are used to communicating with a human being. To build trust and allay uncertainty, the HMI in Vision URBANETIC must ensure that all processes, from reserving a trip to exiting the vehicle at the destination, are as simple and self-explanatory as possible. Booking via an app is the starting point.

Once a trip reservation has been made, the app shows where the user can board. Furthermore, the user receives a two-digit vehicle number, the colour of the display and a self-chosen avatar. When the Vision URBANETIC approaches the meeting point, the number and symbol are shown on the side display in the selected colour. Subsequent passenger authentication can take one of several forms: via an app or, on the next level, via a fingerprint or facial recognition.

Vehicle status (waiting, driving) is communicated to the outside world via a front-end display in the radiator grille. When the vehicle starts up and is about to set off, the sensors visibly deploy as a signal to the outside world of imminent movement.

The 360-degree halo display installed in the ceiling conveys the most important base information on the route, while augmented-reality (AR) elements for the user app on individual mobile devices enhance the journey with information tailored specifically to the passenger – from tourist hotspots in the city to news from individually selected topics. Other available features include suggested route guidance based on predetermined parameters and the respective user profile. The fastest route for commuters, the most inexpensive route for cost optimisation or a route that provides a succession of city sights – a wide range of available choices.

The user app on the passenger’s mobile device offers functions that extend way beyond searching for and booking connections. It guides the passenger to their virtual stop and to their final destination on exiting the vehicle – either with a two-dimensional map view or AR-guided navigation.

Read more about URBANETIC here

Source: Daimler

As part of the 2018 Sino-German government consultations, a special event with driving demonstrations took place on Tuesday, 10 July on the tarmac of Tempelhof airport.

During the event, Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and China’s Prime Minister Li Keqian watched a demonstration of automated vehicles and cooperations between the German automobile manufacturers and Chinese partners.

Automated testing was demonstrated using an E-Class. Under computer control, the vehicle precisely and repeatedly covers pre-programmed trajectories. This also allows the testing of safety-critical manoeuvres on enclosed areas. The actuators installed in the vehicle to control acceleration, braking and steering are not operated by the safety driver, as they are directly controlled by the computer.

To further the automation of automated driving, test platforms such as the statically displayed S-Class for multimodal recording and data collation of traffic scenes using camera and lidar technology are used in China and Germany as part of the cooperative arrangements with the renowned Tsinghua University. The aim is to improve the registration and intention prediction of vulnerable road users for future use in fully-automated vehicles.

One day previously, on 9 July, in the presence of Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, both parties signed an agreement in the Federal Chancellory for further intensification of the research cooperation in the fields of automated driving and intelligent mobility.

Source: Daimler

Bosch and Daimler are speeding up the development of fully-automated and driverless driving (SAE Level 4/5). In the second half of 2019, Bosch and Daimler will offer customers a shuttle service with automated vehicles on selected routes in a Californian metropolis. Daimler Mobility Services is envisaged as the operator of this test fleet and the app-based mobility service.

The pilot project will demonstrate how mobility services such as car sharing (car2go), ride-hailing (mytaxi) and multi-modal platforms (moovel) can be intelligently connected to shape the future of mobility.

In addition, the partners have decided on the US technology company Nvidia as the supplier of the artificial intelligence platform as part of their control unit network. Bosch and Daimler rely on a control unit network made up of several individual control units.

The US technology company Nvidia supplies the platform required for this, which can run the AI algorithms generated by Bosch and Daimler for the vehicle’s movement. The network of control units collates the data from all sensors with radar, video, lidar and ultrasound technology (sensor data fusion), evaluates them within milliseconds and plans the movements of the vehicle. All in all, the control unit network has a computing capacity of hundreds of trillion operations per second. That’s as much as several S-Class vehicles together could reach just a few years ago.

Metrpolis in California will be a pilot city for automated test fleet

The control unit network will also be used in the fleet vehicles which Daimler and Bosch will put on the roads of California in the second half of 2019. Both partners will offer customers an automated shuttle service on select routes in a city located in the San Francisco Bay in Silicon Valley. The test operation will provide information about how fully-automated and driverless vehicles can be integrated into a multi-modal transport network. Many cities face numerous challenges that are increasingly burdening the existing transport system. The test is to show how this new technology might be a solution to these challenges.

Driverless driving makes urban mobility more attractive

With their development cooperation on fully-automated and driverless driving in urban environments which began in April 2017, Bosch and Daimler aim to improve the flow of traffic in cities, enhance safety on the road and provide an important building block for the way traffic will work in the future. The technology will, among other things, boost the attraction of car sharing. In addition, it will allow people to make the best possible use of their time in the vehicle, and open up new mobility opportunities for people without a driver’s licence, for example.

Bosch and Daimler employees share the same office space

Bosch and Daimler employees work together in teams in two regions: In the greater Stuttgart area in Germany and around Sunnyvale in Silicon Valley to the south of San Francisco in the USA. Employees from both companies share the same office space. This ensures rapid communication across working disciplines and short decision-making paths. At the same time they have access to the entire know-how of the colleagues in the mother companies. The partners are equally financing the development work.

The personnel in this cooperation are jointly developing the concepts and algorithms for the fully-automated, driverless drive system. Daimler’s task is to bring the drive system into the car. To this end, the company is providing the necessary development vehicles, test facilities and later the vehicles for the test fleet.

Bosch is responsible for the components (sensors, actuators and control units) specified during the development work. For test purposes the partners use their laboratories and test rigs, plus their respective test sites in Immendingen and Boxberg. Furthermore, since 2014 Mercedes-Benz has approval to test automated vehicles in the Sunnyvale/California region. The company also has comparable approval for the Sindelfingen/Böblingen region since 2016.

Source: Bosch

To qualify for the license, Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with additional technical applications from Baidu Apollo undertook extensive testing at the National Pilot Zone (Beijing and Hebei) for Intelligent Mobility.

Daimler has been setting standards in vehicle safety throughout its long history of technical innovations. In particular, the Intelligent Drive assistance systems have major advancements on the road to autonomous driving. The Mercedes-Benz S‑Class and E‑Class sedans offer partially automated driving technology through Intelligent Drive. For instance, the new DIGITAL LIGHT technology increases safety through extending the visual support for driving assistance systems through sensors that detect other road users and adapt light distribution in all situations.

Daimler has also actively expanded local R&D in the fields of automated driving and vehicle safety, extending its cooperation with local partners. Together with Baidu, Daimler is engaging in research on safer solutions in automated driving for China through the open source Apollo autonomous driving platform. The goal is a deep understanding of the special requirements for automated driving in China, and to develop an early intuition regarding local technical trends. In addition, through their joint Research Center for Sustainable Transportation, Daimler and China’s renowned Tsinghua University since 2012 have supported research projects related to sustainable transportation in a China-specific road environment. With a focus on increasing safety for all road users, research conducted by the Center has included gathering data on typical traffic situations, research on ‘vision- based detection of vulnerable road users’ (VRU), and creating digital models of the East Asian human body proportions for simulation of crash tests.

Source: Daimler

As part of the strategic collaboration, deep learning experts from the Mercedes-Benz Research and Development centers in Sindelfingen, Germany and Bangalore, India are implementing their AI algorithms on a highly adaptable automotive platform from Xilinx. Mercedes-Benz will productize Xilinx’s AI processor technology, enabling the most efficient execution of their neural networks.

Source: Xilinx

Daimler Trucks & Buses is strengthening its market-leading efforts for automated trucks and buses with its new Automated Truck Research & Development Center in Portland (Oregon, U.S.). This innovation facility is already working in close cooperation with existing development functions for automated driving in Stuttgart and India.

The new research and development center develops and fine tunes systems for automated driving at Daimler Trucks & Buses according to a comprehensive technology strategy. The center’s experts are dedicated to all aspects of developing, testing and validating automated vehicles. In addition, the engineers in Portland work in close cooperation with their colleagues in the research and development centers at Daimler Trucks locations in Stuttgart (Germany) and Bangalore (India), thus forming a global network. Through close interconnections within the Daimler Group and the exchange of experience and expertise gained from previous research projects, Daimler Trucks & Buses will benefit from valuable synergies with other vehicle divisions in future as well, especially from the passenger car unit.

Daimler Trucks is investing a total of more than 2.5 billion euros in research and development in 2018 and 2019. More than 500 million euros of this will go toward e-mobility, connectivity and automated commercial vehicle technology. This also includes investment in the new research and development center for automated driving in Portland.

Source: Daimler

The new headlamp technology DIGITAL LIGHT with virtually dazzle-free main beam in HD quality and a resolution of more than two million pixels should be entering small series production in the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. DIGITAL LIGHT is celebrating its world premiere in the updated top model from Mercedes-Maybach at the Geneva Motor Show. Selected fleet customers are expected to take delivery of the first vehicles equipped with it in the first half of 2018.

”With a resolution of over one million pixels per headlamp, DIGITAL LIGHT not only creates ideal light conditions for every driving situation; it also extends the visual support from our driving assistance systems”, says Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

The DIGITAL LIGHT headlamp technology facilitates driving assistance and communication with the driver and can create the ideal light conditions in every driving situation. DIGITAL LIGHT offers even higher precision than the MULTIBEAM LED headlamps, minimising the risk of other road users being dazzled. DIGITAL LIGHT delivers an important contribution towards improving safety in road traffic – as an integral part of the overall INTELLIGENT DRIVE strategy.

In the new HD-quality headlamp there is a chip at work with over a million micro-reflectors, i.e. a total of over two million per vehicle. Cameras and sensor systems in the vehicle detect other road users, powerful computers evaluate the data plus digital navigation maps in milliseconds and give the headlamps the commands for best possible adaption of the light distribution in all situations.

High Definition headlamps with innovative features

With the innovative software-controlled DIGITAL LIGHT technology symbols can also be projected onto the road in HD quality. This not only gives the driver information directly in their field of vision: in a second step it could also make communication with the surroundings possible.

An overview of the DIGITAL LIGHT functions:

Guide lines
When driving through a construction site, two trails of light corresponding to the entire width of the car are projected onto the driver’s own lane. These guide lines help the driver with orientation.

Extended pedestrian mark
If a pedestrian is detected in the danger zone near the road, an arrow pointing towards them appears on the road surface. This is in addition to the mark already made by the Adaptive Highbeam Assist.

Distance mark
This function supports the driver in setting the standard proximity appropriate for certain situations. When the driver activates the DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control or changes the standard proximity, an appropriate proximity mark appears on the road.

The car with DIGITAL LIGHT technology can also warn the driver about certain dangers and give relevant information on the road. For example, if the car is in danger of leaving its lane and entering the oncoming traffic, a lane-keeping symbol is projected onto the road.

The following symbols are available as small series production starts:

• Low-grip surface symbol
• Construction-site symbol
• Rear-end collision symbol
• Lane-keeping symbol
• Blind-spot symbol
• Speed symbol

Source: Mercedes-Benz