Full autopilot

Mercedes-Benz has sold at least one of its new cars equipped with Drive Pilot autonomous driving software in the United States. IT Allows you to take your hands off the steering wheel and distract yourself from the road. There are currently only 65 of this type in the country.

All vehicles are classified on a six-level scale developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), where level 0 is fully manual and level 5 is fully autonomous with zero human intervention.

Most driverless vehicles on the road today are classified as Level 1 or 2. This means they offer “driver assistance” features including automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane keeping, and adaptive cruise control. However, with these auxiliary functions enabled, the driver maintains control of the vehicle and must keep an eye on them at all times.

In Level 3 self-driving vehicles, such as cars equipped with Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot, When automatic driving functions are active, the person in the driver’s seat does not need to actively drive the vehicle. They can be used in certain situations, for example during traffic control on the highway. Drive Pilot takes control of the vehicle, meaning the driver can take their eyes off the road and take their hands off the steering wheel, according to a promotional video.

English commercial: video

The first two Tier 3 vehicles approved for sale in the US are Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class and EQS Sedan with Drive Pilot, available only in California and Nevada. So far, these are the only states that have given the company the required certification.

The company first received SAE Level 3 certification in January 2023, becoming the first automaker to receive this certification. Other manufacturers are working on similar technology, including BMW’s 7 Series cars.