Mercedes Just Embarrassed Tesla
“Full Self-Driving” who?
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When you think about self-driving cars, which car company do you typically think about? Maybe you think of Musk endlessly promising that Teslas will be able to drive themselves within the next year or two. Or, if you are really into autonomous driving, you might picture the breakthrough robotaxi work being done by Google’s Waymo or GM’s Cruise. You’re most likely not thinking of an opulent German manufacturer best known for their insanely powerful V8-powered executive cars. But believe it or not, Mercedes has beaten them all to the punch and will be the first to offer Level 3 autonomous driving to the US market.
Before we dive into the repercussions of this monumental leap by Mercedes, let’s first understand the different levels of autonomous driving. We start at Level 0, where the driver has to do everything themselves. Most cars these days are Level 1, which means they have cruise control or adaptive cruise control that ensures they remain at the same distance from the vehicle in front. Level 2 is where things get interesting. These cars can steer themselves, though the driver still has to remain alert, with a hand on the wheel, ready to take over at a moment’s notice. For this reason, Level 2 cars aren’t considered autonomous and are instead considered to have an advanced driver assistance system. Level 3, also known as conditional automation, takes this to the next step. You can take your hands off the steering wheel and focus your attention on something else, like watching a film or eating, but only in certain situations. For example, you can’t nod off, as the car may ask you to take back control. As such, Level 3 is considered the first official step of automation. Levels 4, 5, and 6 all require even less driver involvement, with Level 6 systems not needing steering wheels at all.
Now, the Tesla fans among you may notice something here. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) is not an autonomous driving system but is instead classified as a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system. This is why the DoJ is currently investigating Tesla: they have been marketing FSD as if it were a fully operational self-driving system, which has led to accidents, crashes, and even fatalities. (Read more here).
