Mercedes Is First Automaker to Sell Level 3 Autonomous Vehicles in the US

Mercedes is now the first automaker to sell a car with advanced autonomous features in the United States, meaning the vehicle doesn’t technically require drivers to pay close attention to the road.

As of April 11, Mercedes had 65 vehicles that support its Drive Pilot autonomous software for sale in California, one of which has already been sold, Fortune reports. Mercedes vehicles equipped with Drive Pilot are also for sale in Nevada.

Mercedes currently has permission to sell and lease cars with “Level 3” autonomous driving in Nevada and California. In September, it announced plans to start sales in late 2023. Fortune says those cars hit dealerships in December; it submitted an open records request to the California DMV to find out just how many. Mercedes hasn’t confirmed any numbers.

(Credit: Mercedes-Benz)

Drive Pilot is limited to the 2024 EQS sedans and S-Class model vehicles and requires a yearly $2,500 subscription. But there are some restrictions. For now, it can only be used while the car is moving at 40mph or less, so it probably won’t be too useful on the highway unless you’re in traffic. It can also only be used in the daytime and on specific freeways. According to Mercedes, Drive Pilot pinpoints a car’s location “using a high-precision positioning system that is much more powerful than conventional GPS systems.”

Once activated, Drive Pilot “controls the speed and distance, effortlessly guiding the vehicle within its lane.” You can also use certain apps on the dash that would otherwise be blocked while driving on a Level 1 or 2 system. When a driver is using the vehicle’s autonomous capabilities, the car will display turquoise lights on its rearview mirrors as well as taillights and headlights to alert other drivers and law enforcement that they are operating autonomously.

Other automakers, including Tesla, are currently offering Level 2 autonomous driving, which still requires drivers to keep their eyes on the road and and hands on the steering wheel. In Level 3 cars, it’s possible to do other things while the car is in control, but you won’t want to doze off. If the systems fail, the driver still needs to be ready to take over.

Mercedes is also working on Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities, which it expects to be available by the end of the decade, Automotive News reports.