Did Mercedes just steal a march on Tesla regarding elf-driving

EDITORIAL: Did Mercedes steal a march on Tesla?



Mercedes has announced a system similar to that Musk promises in Full Self Driving. Mercedes says their system is legal in Nevada. In an article in an online publication The Daily Star they celebrate the Mercedes system Which they say is superior to that of Tesla “Tesla drivers are still stuck with 'Level 2' self-driving which requires the driver to remain in control of key aspects of the journey—despite Elon Musk promising 'full self-driving' every year for over a decade.”




Other sources say they already have approval for 'Level 3' self-driving in Nevada.

The newspaper claims “the firm's 'Drive Pilot' system means drivers will be able to watch movies, play videogames, and browse the Internet while the car handles 'all aspects' of driving.”

I doubt Mercedes is claiming their system is full self driving. They chose a more innocuous name “the Drive Pilot system” which they say will require drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel, and deactivate if the driver falls asleep or gets distracted.


But there’ a couple of major differences between what Mercedes is offering compared to Tesla.

The Mercedes self-driving system will work only on roads up to 40 mph. And only on roads in their inventory of roads already mapped. Tesla’s system will go higher speeds, even on roads not previously mapped and recorded into the memory by Tesla. The article says Mercedes’ system “still meets the US highway safety administration's framework for Level 3 automation, which states that the car "handles all aspects of the driving task while the driver remains available to take over driving if requested."

Methinks that while it is a set-back for Tesla’s image that another luxury automaker has swept in and won approval for their system in a US state, it could pave the way for the official government recognition of Tesla’s system if Mercedes drivers using the new option experience crashes , go to court and their system is compared to Tesla's and found inferior, i.e. more dangerous.

I doubt Mercedes is urging car drivers to watch movies while at the wheel. It may even be legislated into existence a law that prevent drivers from watching movies while at the steering wheel.

There has been the worry voiced by Tesla fans that, while Musk is distracted, other automakers will come in and steal Tesla’s market. That’s the tone of the article but I think that whoever is challenging Tesla better have a system that’s truly superior before they crow too much. Otherwise the Tesla system could be proven superior.

There’s an old saying “You don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.” Unless Mercedes has a system that’s more fool-proof than Tesla’s FSD (which is so ineptly named since it’s not “full”) they should refrain claiming any superiority.

Musk is already facing judicial action on his car’s systems. I predict Mercedes will be in court soon after the first accident involving their system.

Of course the big prize that’s tempting all automakers to keep on trying to get it approved is the approval of a completely driverless system, i.e. level 5. That will eliminate Uber and Lyft as those who can’t drive can order driverless taxis to their homes and/or business. There is likely ten of millions of potential customers that don’t own a car, don’t trust taxi/Uber/Lyft drivers and would be willing to set out in a robot car once they are proven safe.

 

Dose pesky elves--always gettin' into trouble. Actually that headline is a typo.( meant to say "self") but to anwer the second letter, I thought "steal a march" was a common military term for some army getting up extra early and gaining ground while their enemy was still asleep. Of course what do I know about military tactics? My highest rank achieved was Private First Class....