Electric car: for once, the law is ahead of technology

It is now possible to drive up to 130 km/h with a level 3 autonomous car, without holding the steering wheel or looking at the road. The problem is that no manufacturer currently offers this technology. Only the Mercedes EQS and S-Class are compatible, but only up to 60 km/h for the moment.

Mercedes Drive Pilot

We’ve been hearing about autonomous driving for a long time, although almost all manufacturers are working on it. We are of course thinking of Tesla with its Autopilot and its FSD (full self-driving) in the United States, or of Volvo which equips its new EX90 with a LiDAR sensor. Many equipment manufacturers are also interested in it, including Plastic Omninum, which unveiled an innovative radar technology integrated into the bumper. If things are moving in the right direction, everything is not quite ready yet.

Changing regulations…

Until then, only level 2 autonomous driving was allowed in Europe. Concretely, this means that it is possible to leave the car driving alone, provided you keep your hands on the wheel, or more precisely, to remain attentive to what is happening on the road. In other words, it is always the driver who is responsible for driving.

But since July 14, 2022, level 3 is now authorized in Europe: it is the car that becomes responsible for driving. However, it was not until September 1 that this technology was approved in France, but only under certain conditions. Indeed, the road must be prohibited to pedestrians and cyclists but also have a central separator.

The driver must also always be able to take control if the car asks him to, which means that there is no question of sleeping or watching a film. At last, the speed was limited to 60 km/h, thus reducing use to traffic jams on motorways.

But now some changes have been made, while the regulations have been slightly relaxed. We remember that last July, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations announced that it authorized autonomous driving up to 130 km/h. A measure finally came into force on January 1, 2023 in Germany, as announced by the Heise.de site. For the time being, nothing has yet been specified in France, but we should quickly know a little more.

… but the brands do not follow

On paper, this is therefore excellent news for motorists, who will therefore be able to make long journeys without having to touch the steering wheel. In addition, this new regulation should help improve road traffic, while a recent study proved that self-driving cars helped reduce phantom traffic jams on highways. But there is still a small catch.

Indeed, at present, only Mercedes offers level 3 on its cars in Europe, on its EQS and S-Class, via the Drive Pilot system. However, it was only approved to reach a maximum speed of 60 km/h, in accordance with the regulations hitherto in force. If the German firm has a head start on Tesla, it is on the other hand behind compared to the legislation.

Mercedes Drive Pilot: Level 3 autonomous driving

A situation which may seem comical, but which is quite embarrassing for the German brand, which then risks being left behind by its rivals, including BMW. The manufacturer is also working on the launch of models equipped with autonomous driving technology, as are many Chinese firms such as Nio or Zeekr.

This is all the more worrying since Mercedes would not be able to announce a schedule for the update for the time being, as explained by Automobile Magazine. Can this be done remotely, as is the case for example with Tesla, which offers the transition from classic Autopilot to fully autonomous driving after purchase via an OTA update (over -the-air)? We will still have to wait before having the answer to this question.

Anyway, Mercedes remains for the moment the only manufacturer to run cars in autonomous driving level 3 across Europe. Or more precisely, in Germany.

We explain to you what the different levels of autonomous driving correspond to. Between fully autonomous driving, semi-autonomous driving and driving aids, we help you see things more clearly.
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