A great video. Really appreciate how you’re explaining the emerging tech. Keep em coming. I love driving, but recognise the world is full of bad drivers and non-drivers (non-petrolheads) that will appreciate these developments.
In recent years, I've done a couple long road trips. The first was about 6,500 miles, from Boston to Yellowstone, down to Colorado, and back to Boston. The second was around 5,000 miles, from Boston to Telluride, CO and back. Both of those trips involved about 4 days of interstate driving each way. I would have loved having a semi-autonomous system for those long interstate drives. 10 hours straight on the interstate is tiring. I'm not interested in being able to surf the internet, but something that would allow me to relax a bit more during those drives would be very welcome.
This was a fascinating episode to watch. They really put that system through it’s paces and for the most part it did what it was supposed to. I’m completely with you MM. As a fellow aviator, I prefer to control things myself. However, while at cruising altitude on a long haul flight, I do have an autopilot engaged along with a pre programmed flight plan. I also have ATC and a lot of open sky without a lot of Aircraft in close proximity and a TCAS system to talk to other Aircraft and prevent a midair collision. All that to say, I think these systems do have a place and a purpose going forward, but not until almost all the other vehicles around you are also equipped with this level of technology so that they too can communicate with each other. I guess at that point we’re talking fully autonomous driving, and I think we’re still several decades away from that reality. I do think the younger generations have no real interest in actually operating a vehicle and would rather be on their phone texting than paying attention to the road. I see it all the time and as a parent of a new driver, I’m scared to death to let her drive anywhere because of the horrible drivers that I constantly see not paying attention and causing accidents. If these types of systems can bring down the amount of distracted driver accidents and fatalities, then I say bring it on. Just let the rest of us that actually do know how to drive and enjoy driving continue to do so please.
Incredible interview as usual - I remember seeing this type of tech 30+ as a kid with movies like Total Recall but never imagined I’d be alive on the cusp of its actualization and inception, just so cool.
As a pilot, you give control of the aircraft to computers when you use Autopilot. So, maybe there will be an adjustment phase for people using Level 3 in cars. Just a thought.
Is this really lv3? I don’t see much difference between lv2 and 3. The only difference seems to be that the company takes the legal responsibility when something happens during autonomous driving. Also, one can use this only in highways but speeds below 40mph. Not sure whether I want to pay for it.
@@TeslaElonSpaceXFan Don't be daft. Level 2 is worse than level 3. Tesla is level 2, and according to an e-mail by Musk himself, is never advancing to level 3. Too difficult and they can't accept the responsibility for accidents, which the company is obliged to when moving to level 3. Documents between Tesla attorneys and the California Department of Motor Vehicles say vehicles using the firm's latest version, known as 'Autosteer on City Streets' will never surpass Level 2 autonomy [1] It's like this: Tesla is level 2: hands on the wheel, and pay attention to the road. If you don't and you die, that's fine by Tesla, they don't care. Mercedes-Benz is level 3: you can take your hands of the wheel and watch a movie or reply to your e-mails. If something might happen Mercedes-Benz takes responsibility. [1] www.plainsite.org/documents/242a2g/california-dmv-tesla-robotaxi--fsd-emails/
@@GuusJanssen You dont understand how marketing works I see... Mercedes could have said that its level 69 would not make it that good just because it called it that way... Just rewatch this same video and write down limitations when you cant use this system and compare it to any basic Adaptive cruise control and realize what a joke it is. Tesla basic autopilot which comes as standard performs miles better without any limitations on highways for quite few years now. Difference between companies saying that its level 3 vs level 2 is just liability, when it gets to 3 and above car company can be sued for any damage which happen while system was active, this is why Mercedes put aside like one billion just for that... Mercedes level 3 is a joke, nothing more.
This is actually really impressive from an engineering standpoint. I still want to drive myself but having the option for this sometimes would be nice.
I like this technology. I have a 2018 E Class, with level 2. I use it in city driving, as well as on the interstate. I also love driving, but enjoying having some assistance from time to time. Great video
Fascinating video! The playing games and sleeping while driving part is extremely wild to me...People in that survey really wanted that?!😳 Just call a car service and stay off the road...
Well, that is not even TESLA level from 10+ years ago ! 🙄 Seems you were afraid to not being invited back by Benz if you would have mention that. This system is just a ridiculously small baby step in the detection to what Tesla is doing with FSD.
"Well, that is not even TESLA level from 10+ years ago !" You are right, it is not. It is far better. Tesla Autopilot is being regarded as dangerous, Mercedes is being allowed on the highways. Big difference. Tesla is nothing but hype from Elon Musk.
@@Hyrppa95 You dint even watched this video, dint you now? Watch it again and write down limitations when you can't use this level 3 system... Its Adaptive cruise control at best, nothing more. Getting government approval doesn't make it better and Tesla basic autopilot performs better and has less limitations than this Mercedes joke, not even mentioning Enhanced version and actual FSD which can drive in actual city roads and not highways at max 40mph.
I'm not that young, I'm 36, but honestly? Sign me up. Give me level 4 autonomous driving so I can take a nap and not have to drive. BUT I do think that will have to be part of a larger ecosystem: maps that update on their own as road conditions change (this S class is actually operating on an early version of that concept), cars that talk to each other, cars that talk to street lights etc. This isn't going to work really well when it's just a hodge podge of level 3+ ADAS mixed in with none of the other parts. I think it's all pretty exciting though
Free advertisement. People are talking about this joke system and people even claims that its way ahead of Tesla autopilot system... In general it should be illegal to make such claims, but at same time there are no real requirements for your system to be called L3 instead of L2 besides that requirement for driver to keep his attention to the road and manufacturer taking full responsibility. Quite few already existing system could go with L3 label, but there is no real good reason to take responsibility for any car crash.
I have a daily work round trip about 2.5 hours and would be interested in demoing level 3 for that application. I’m curious, if 1 or 2 sensors are damaged/not working, will the level 3 system not work at all? Also, in-cabin mics, privacy certainly a concern.
As in the test in this video, the sun directly in the camera turned off level 3. So, yes, any damage to any camera or sensor will not allow level 3 driving. You're worried about in cabin mics when your phone tracks everything about you already??? It knows your location, the mics are listening to you, and the cameras are watching.
Sorry but compared to Tesla, MobilEye and CommaAI this is simply not very impressive. Do yourself a favor and watch some Tesla FSD-Beta video's, there are many around autonomously driving in city-centers, in dark, rain etc, etc. No GEO restrictions, upto normal motorway speeds and no lead-car needed. And not driven / made by employees, but customers (400.000 people in North America can use it already, though fully driver responsibility). A bit harder to find, but there are also Comma-AI and MobilEye videos around, tough mainly in company video's.
Key incorrect assumption: L3 > L2. Not true. Not by a long shot. Sure, by definition, the difference between L2 and L3 amounts to whether or not driver attentiveness is required. L2 and L3 overlap in practice when you take into consideration where they work and what functions they perform. Mercedes "L3" autonomy is geofenced, and only functions in slow freeway traffic in clear weather, and doesn't even do lane changes, let alone navigate. Tesla "L2" FSD beta is functionally capable of driving with greater reliablility in a superset of these conditions, but doesn't bother to switch off the requirement of the driver to continue to pay attention (hence technically L2). This is perhaps a consequence of Tesla not being geofenced, thus not having a piori knowledge of all possible conditions, such as road work. Nevertheless, the probability of a necessary intervention in either autopilot or FSD beta is essentially nil in the specific conditions where Mercedes "L3" is deployed. Tesla Autopilot and FSD beta are not geofenced, so they work everywhere, in rain or snow (though FSD beta switches to autopilot in extreme weather). It's capable of lane changes and freeway entrace/exit. FSD runs on all roads, and navigates stops, turns, traffic circles, etc, while Mercedes doesn't even change lanes. Caveats: Autopilot and FSD beta still really do need human attentiveness in construction zones. Since Mervedes is geofenced, this is easily dealt with by selectively turning off in these regions, assuming the have OTA map updates. So no, Mercedes didn't beat Tesla to anything. BTW, even the most diehard Tesla fanboys are skeptical of Elon's time estimates. FSD is not going to reach level 5 this year. However, they are planning to turn off the nagging feature for beta testers with the best driving habits (yes, FSD monitors driving behavior). This change constitutes L3 in my book since the nag feature is what enforces L2 operation. Note that FSD beta was initially released to select drivers in that manner and now FSD beta has been released to all drivers who purchased FSD. I think this is a brilliant way to gradually upgrade. Should be level 3 for all drivers within about a year, on all roads, including navigation from any origin to any destination.
Wonderful video! I am with you; I have a Taycan and don't use even lane keep assist! And I object to others putting me in danger by using this automation. I don't want to blame the car for getting me in a crash. I do have night vision assist on the Taycan which is very good and I appreciate that, but not because I'm playing a game, it's just adding another layer of safety. I ran the Army's LHX study where the Secretary of the Army tried to tell us we could have just one pilot and we proved him wrong. He disregarded our study results and wasted $6B before cancelling the program.
So, this will not do what Tesla FSD does like follow a route and make all the turns. Admittedly not as well as it should but it works successfully 90% of the time, in my experience. But it still does some stupid things like try to put one in the wrong lane. This doesn’t seem like such a big deal.
I love driving and overall would miss and be a bit afraid initially to let a car drive for me. I also have learned not to trust the multitude of bad drivers about me, especially in bad weather situations. However I live in the southeast US now, after growing up in the northeast, and quite frequently the traffic on our interstate highways is minimal if any, making it extremely difficult to stay interested or awake enough to drive long distances at times. In these situations I could see where Level 3 autonomous driving would be quite useful. Thanks for your fabulous video, explanations and interview of the engineer regarding Level 3 autonomy.
Ok people who don’t know. There is a company called Tesla, please check their level 2 auto pilot. Sorry is this video a prank on Mercedes? This can’t be real. A set up track and all other vehicles are simulating a traffic scenario and yet it’s not working? Has to be a joke. Daimler is a reputable automakers .
This was eye opening to me and am very pleased with MB’s technology. In the real world I still think that this is more of a novelty that people will enjoy to use but it won’t be until we get to a full self driving car before the technology really becomes useful to all. Great video!
*Thanks for telling us you were limited in what you can film, and maybe, editorialize.* This system is a big "hell no" for me, and my reasons are just too much to type.
They better record the cameras because there’s going to be countless instances where someone says “I don’t know what happened, they just came out of nowhere.” 💯
The actual driving bit starts at 3:07. You can thank me later. Why is it that a lot of the screentime is on the two guys rather than the road. Personally I came here to look at the driving part, not at the two guys.
My Tesla drives me at 100klms for many hrs and I just sit and enjoy. With one thumb on the wheels, no take overs..Would you trust a car that can’t see when the sun is out? Go rent a Tesla and try it on the freeway.. It’s crazy good..This Tech is 5-8 years.. Sorry max speed 60klm is not going to cut it..
I feel like level 3 is the most dangerous level because neither the driver nor car is attentive 100% of the time. This transition can be very dangerous in split second situations. I think the governments should wait until the technology is powerful enough to skip to level 4 all together.
Fascinating discussion and awesome video as always! Not sure o want the car driving for me but I would like the safety systems to intervene if I miss something or am distracted. Another great piece of car journalism !!
It would be great for very new drivers and very old drivers when perfected. Also taxi or limo services. May even stop people from even owning a car. For me. When I didn't feel like driving in rush hour traffic it would be nice. Or extended long trips. But I would still want a very old pickup truck just to cruise around in. 🤔
The big picture is about freeway capacity and cost. Level 3 autonomous driving will allow cars to follow each other much closer and faster. You won't need an $8 billion dollar 6 lane freeway. The cars will eventually be digitally linked and form huge trains. With the current danger and cost of distracted drivers plus govt insane spending on road projects bring it. Commuting is a killer. Anything to ease the strain and make it safer is good. You'll still have a driver button.
I love driving but frankly I'm so much occupied with tasks related to work that I welcome any extra time where a car is taking over driving and I relax or handle some tasks
I have a GV80 with level 2. I find that I can drive longer shifts with less fatigue. I'm still driving, but it feels less taxing From a level 3 system, I just want to be incrementally more relaxed. I'll still be mentally present and not reading e-mail, but I won't have to deal with as much minutia. I guess I'm less interested in the level 3 aspects and more interested in a better level 2 - one that doesn't wander when coming up on an exit, doesn't wait too long to brake for obvious trouble ahead, and stuff like that.
I would like to be able to keep my hands off the wheel when I’m just driving on the interstate. Right now on my commute to work the adaptive cruise and lane keep do make the commute easier. However, the current system just needs to transition between acceleration and deceleration more smoothly.
I would use it. I wouldn't sleep unless it was a really long trip and even then only at level 4. It would be awesome to go on a road trip at 11PM and wake up at your destination. Those would be rare though. For the most part I would use it to catch up on things like emails, books and shows. I wouldn't use the touchscreen in the car though. The ergonomics for that are terrible with it being in the center console. They really would need to change that if they actually wanted people to use that over their phones or a tablet they simply left in the car.
Is this a joke? ... 40 mph max on freeway, has to follow a car in front within 100 meters, the bend on the road can't be too curvy, L3 will disengage if the sun is too bright, no snow or ice or wet conditions? For those who think this is impressive feat of engineering, do yourself a favor and search RU-vid onTesla latest FSD and see for yourself that MB is literally light years behind the curve.
“The car manufacturer takes liability” if you can afford to wait 2 years to be compensated in the event of an accident. Imagine the lawsuits you’ll have to go through if you’re injured as the driver when the car is in control at level 3
Great video, thank you for explaining. This looks for me as a feature, moreover with microphones inside the car it's a NO from me, would prefer to stay in autonomous first gen car 🤣 Without car recording my conversation.
all everyone actually would need is adaptive/automatic acceleration and deceleration. hitting the gas and break all the time is the cumbersome part of driving.
I like to drive myself. But I think I'd appreciate a driver assistant to temporarily take over from me so I can safely change my GSP settings, answer a phone call, grab a bottle of water from the back seat, basically anything I normally wouldn't do because I want to keep my eyes on the road. However, I'm no guinea pig, I won't be using this until it's been proven reliable for many years.
@@acvwacvw quite a few people probably. Lots of paid articles online to show that Mercedes system is somehow superior... Consumer reports being the latest.
In the U.S. when in drivers seat, you are too pay attention to the Road. Period! You do this stuck in traffic. Long drives home after a night. In a City and need to work on the road. Then you can catch TV and be busy with whatever. Congress has to allow this and DOT. But I like it like GM.
More components. Added weight, added cost, added complexity. I'd rather just drive my own damn car!. For those longer trips I'm on a train or a plane anyway.
So embarrassing what Mercedes think they can. But honestly, their engineers that know about Teslas capabilites, are by far not as optimistic as Mercedes marketing people and executives. Years of work ahead and I bet they are not gonna do it by them self. They will have to purchase the technology that allows lvl 4/5.
What a joke of a system. So limited in real use. The sun kept it from working?? Speed up to get behind that car so it will work? Yeah MB can even see Tesla with a telescope. Call it level 3, but it's laughable compared to Tesla's ADAS and FSD. Wow. They are years and years behind Tesla.
This is a sham! Mercedes "autopilot" can only be engaged on major highways and 4 lane streets with a MAXIMUM SPEED of 37mph. So they film this on a 8 lane autobahn and stage the traffic jam! They deceive!
The one issue I've yet to see anyone deal with is real Bay Area rush hour driving. If you leave half a car in front of you, people will cut you off. I left a quarter of a car in space the other day and a jeep STILL cut me off and I had to hit the brakes because he was going to take the front of my car off. Driving in the bay area is very aggressive, and these systems are like the worst driver whose afraid to drive. I foresee a lot of accidents from aggressive drivers trying to get around these cars.
How many vehicles are currently approved that can use the Drive Pilot? Instead of talking about the alleged autonomous driving, all things that serve as a distraction are highlighted, which is probably the reason. Requirements: - only motorways that are certified. - Another vehicle must be in front of you. - Max 60 km/h or 37mpH - only by day - no rain snow fog - only the Mercedes top models - No tunnels - and no lane change - no overtake Basically, it only measures the distance to the vehicle on the front.
Now just the other night with nothin' to do We broke a case of proof 102 And started itchin' for that wonderful feel Of rollin' in an automobile You could say we was out of our mind And let me tell you we were flyin' while blind zz top
I'm going to SHW which is the future, Stay at Home Worker. This will allow people who spend 1-2 hours to get to work that saves 10 hours a week, before people even get to the job.
I wish we could accept and make the rules based on the current capabilities of AI. These cars at level 2 are really really good at doing the things humans are really bad at. Concentrating for hours on end on a simple task of staying at constant speed and in lane without hitting anything. People are terrible at it but the machines are flawless. My base level Carolla had quite a few of these driver assists and did about 70% of Kansas interstate alone as I crossed the country last year. On interstates most of these systems are safer than human driving already. Unless something very unexpected happens. Heavy traffic, animals on the road, a bicycle race, police car chase, rioters, plane crash etc. there is a myriad of things that cannot be handled yet and it may be sometime if ever, before they can. But what these cars could do is download road information to a database that they are all connected on. A system that would tell the driver to take over, even ahead of time.
I agree, being a boomer, I enjoy controlling vechicles to do what I deem appropriate, and the oneness of man and machine. That said, these sensors and software should only be for the eneviable screw ups that happen in traffic to keep you from an accident. Our society needs to be less distracted not given the ability to become even more distracted. The important question is: Do we have the ability to make a self-driving vehicle, but should we?
I'm not a boomer and I agree with you. I worked in the auto repair industry for a lot of years and I saw the stupidity levels out there. And they're only getting worse. Now we're saying go ahead and browse the internet and watch RU-vid videos instead of driving because the car will take care of everything for you. Electronics fail. Electronics glitch. My car is level two. However in 18 months and 25,000 mi, I've probably used it a total of 1,000 mi. I take driving seriously. If I want to surf the internet or watch RU-vid in the car, I'll be a passenger. For those that want this stuff, be prepared for the repair costs. Ask the engineer how much that windshield will cost to replace. Or that front camera. Or that lidar unit if you so much as bump them. You probably want to lease it and lower your insurance deductibles across the board.
Is good that this is coming online but shouldn’t be allowed to do internet or mobile uses it’s more for a mum reaching back yo,pick up a child’s toy , assist if you have accidentally spilt you drink or key slipped down the wrong side . It should not and still not be for people who do daft things such as read at the wheel , get out the seat (like some Tesla owners) or worse take 40 winks and must have recorded video of the cabin for insurance, it should be made clear that this is NOT full automated which is the impression it gives as is set and forget, you MUST BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR CAR AT ALL TIMES AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE CONTROL. Further to this Tesla owners must be told clearly on there site on the order select that there cars a not full self drive. What may help since so many are confused about what level is what it can do, is to make it clear that these cars are set to insurance level 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 etc it doesn’t matter what the car can do it’s what insurance says that matter in the eyes of the law and traffic stops. with a published government standard on what means what so it becomes an agreed global standard BUT NOT a order that each country allow that levels use eg we get level 4 authorised for use but a country has no laser scanned roads or the environment changes due to conditions and traffic so only a level 2 or 3 are authorised at that time . Once a country has done there own testing and road mapping they can then let people know at the next renewal of the Vehicle tax renewal and insured level
It’s like thinking the insurance company will take care of you. Absolutely stupid to trust that a car manufacturer is looking out for you. Yeah insurance paid out but after 2 years a lawsuit and spending $15,000 out of pocket. They try to squeeze you to take their offer. Imagine if you still had to pay off your lease, medical bills, and rehab while waiting on a lawsuit because you had to go to court to cash in on your under insured motorist policy for your brand new e class
Basic Autopilot (not even FSD) that is included in all Teslas can do everything this L3 MB can do, and Autopilot doesn’t need a lead car, a 40 mph speed limit, a dry road, etc… this demonstration is a joke.
You guys seem to be missing the main point here. Tesla still legally requires a driver's attention. Whereas this is a true driving pilot that allows the driver to take its eyes off the road.
@@SamM-kh2vd But it doesn’t. It still requires the driver to be able to take control of the vehicle, at literally any moment. Driver really can’t take their eyes away from the road, as direct sunlight might disable the system and force the driver to take over. The only difference is that Mercedes assumes responsibility if the is an accident while their Drive Pilot is engaged.
Sorry but this isn’t level 3, mapped only, must follow a car, sun glare issues… Tesla AP and even Volvo has done this for years and honestly better. Keep innovating but stop trying to over state ability’s.
I just started using cruise control this year, and I've owned 3 cars in my life lol. And now I can't stop using it lol, I guess now that I've gained that trust...and realized how much more relaxing of a drive it is I like it a lot. With that being said I like to drive, but I'm definitely a fan of these systems. Because it just takes some pressure off of you & gives you more comfort. Especially for stop & go traffic, and long highway trips
I can certainly see myself using this tech, but would I use it today? Nope. But that has less to do with my trust in this tech, and more to do with my lack of trust in the unpredictable driving behaviors of other people on the road. I can’t see myself letting a car drive itself unless it was actually A.I driven with the collective driving abilities of Toretto’s crew, or unless all vehicles on the road were electronically daisy chained and autonomously driven.
It’s not feasible for the majority of the roads in the US. I require hands on and would not feel comfortable having the car take control. It’s also very nerve racking having to go back n forth between autonomous and hands on. If you’re driving a car…drive the car. Not have the car drive you.
That’s pretty poor tesla fsd bata is a million times better. And why did it need a lead car?. As for self driving, it’s better than a human in many cases. Having the car drop off kids that can’t drive or picking you up from the pub. Old people who want to go shopping but are no longer up to driving. Not to mention everyone who can’t drive due to medical issues. And after 1.5 million miles of driving , I would like to sleep on a 7 hour drive to my holiday destination.
