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13
Nov
Mercedes Benz Drives Itself through Germany
Accident gratis driving is on the horizon with autonomous vehicles. Last year, Mercedes-Benz successfully test-drove a slightly modified S500 sedan approximately 60 miles through open city roadways and highways from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany.
Dieter Zetsche, the head of Mercedes-Benz at Daimler AG, believes that self-driven vehicles are the first step to safer driving conditions and will bring comfort to those that frequent the many roadways across the globe.
Automakers besides Mercedes-Benz are joining the bandwagon and looking to bring this technology to their cars. Ford, GM, Audi, Volvo, Nissan, and Toyota are among such dealers who are laboring to make this possible before 2020.
Standard features in today’s higher-end vehicles are paving the road for self-driving cars. Proactive braking, warning systems and adaptive cruise control help cars to drive without the manual aid of a person.
The 2014 S-Class includes several of these elements, which meant little was needed to get it ready for the autonomous test. The additions included two long-range radar systems, four short-range ones and a couple of cameras aided with detection of both traffic lights and surroundings. The second camera was installed to pinpoint the vehicle’s exact location by scanning the area and measuring it against 3-D digital maps.
Although the test was victorious, several adjustments need to be made, such as interacting with other vehicles that are not self-driven. According to Ralf Herrtwich, the head of driver assistance at Daimler, it’s quite comical when an independent car gets “waved through” at a stop by a friendly driver and can’t respond accordingly. It’s an issue that needs addressing for future programming.
One obstacle for autonomous vehicles is gaining permission to drive on public streets. For example, in Europe, automated steering that’s slightly over six miles per hour is not acceptable. In the United States, California, Nevada, and Florida are the only states that allow self-driving cars.
Even though autonomous cars aren’t legal road warriors, many of the features are already included in the luxury 2014 S550 model. Ready to own the 2015 version? Unfortunately, it can’t drive itself but the friendly team at Balch Logistics can facilitate the transport of your new 2015 Mercedes-Benz and have it delivered right to your door. We proudly work with Mercedes Dealers all across the country. At Balch Logistics, our expert staff will be happy to arrange a safe and reliable transport of your vehicle whether it is a local move or coast to coast, including all 50 states and even Canada!
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