New Mercedes feature is coming to Europe
The so-called “automatic lane change” works on “highway-like roads with lane markings and structurally separated lanes,” writes Mercedes in a Monday published press release. The car must therefore recognize the lane markings and have MBUX navigation.
The feature works on roads with speed limits and when there is enough space to overtake. For overtaking itself, according to Mercedes, the car does not need any impulse from the driver. However, a driver’s hands would have to remain on the steering wheel.
Editor’s Recommendations
The feature will come to the German market “promptly” with the delivery of the new E-Class, writes Mercedes. The automatic lane change, or Automatic Lane Change (ALC), is already offered for the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class as well as for all Mercedes-EQ model series in the USA and Canada.
“In the area of assistance systems, the Automatic Lane Change lane change assistance function offers a clearly noticeable increase in comfort,” says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
According to Mercedes, the feature is an intelligent further development of the driver assistance systems in the area of SAE Level 2, often also referred to as Level 2+.
If a slower vehicle drives ahead, the carmaker writes, the vehicle can initiate the lane change itself at a speed of 80 to 140 kilometers per hour and overtake completely automatically – if lane markings are recognized and there is sufficient space.
The prerequisite is a road with a speed limit and the vehicle being equipped with MBUX navigation. The highly developed system does not require any further input from the driver to carry out the automatic lane change.
With active route guidance, the system should also help when driving to exits and changing motorways. Since the responsibility for a Level 2 system also lies with the driver during the automatic lane change, the manufacturer has decided that the hands must remain on the steering wheel, he writes in the press release.
The manufacturer writes that in the area of semi-automated driving in SAE Level 2, it already relies on the Active Distance Assist with Active Steering Assist. It can assist the driver with steering at speeds of up to 210 kilometers per hour. The system can also be activated on all types of roads.
At speeds of less than 130 kilometers per hour, the steering assistant works if the road markings are difficult to see. The system regulates the speed automatically, adjusts the distance to the vehicle in front and provides support when restarting in stop-and-go traffic.
