Pink means cease, inexperienced means go – and turquoise now means automated driving: Mercedes-Benz is the primary automaker permitted to make use of exterior marker lights, which implies automated driving is activated, in California and Nevada.

Turquoise is the colour

In California, Mercedes can now take a look at turquoise marker lights for automated driving – its DRIVE PILOT system – on freeways. The distinctive marker lights are built-in into the EQS’s entrance and taillights and the 2 outdoors mirrors in testing vehicles.

In Nevada, the allow permits manufacturing vehicles to be geared up with marker lights, starting with the 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS, till legislative adjustments happen.

Mercedes says the outside turquoise lights (pictured above) let the general public and police know that the EQS’s automated driving system is switched on. (That means, drivers don’t get in hassle with the regulation for doing different issues in addition to steering the automobile.)

Mercedes selected the colour turquoise for 2 fundamental causes – its visibility, and the truth that the colour isn’t utilized by present automobile lighting, site visitors lights, or emergency lighting. (Mercedes notes that the marker lights are designed in accordance with SAE J3134 Really helpful Apply.)

Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz’s chief know-how officer, growth & buying, mentioned:

With the event of automated driving marker lights, Mercedes-Benz is as soon as once more setting new trade requirements. We’re the primary automaker on the earth to obtain such approvals within the US, particularly in California and Nevada.

The extra automated driving automobiles populate the street, the extra necessary communication and interplay between the automobile and the atmosphere change into.

As my colleague Jameson Dow defined when he take a look at drove the EQS’s DRIVE PILOT system in September, it’s the primary hands-free Stage 3 autonomous drive system licensed to function within the US:

Autonomous drive methods are ranked from degree 0-5, describing how a lot functionality the system has. Basically, ranges 0-2 are primarily human-driven, and ranges 3-5 are primarily autonomously pushed.

What [Level 3] means is that is the primary system within the US that’s truly validated to take full management of the automobile, beneath sure circumstances, releasing you to do different duties than driving.

It is a fledgling know-how – it was first made out there for order in Germany final yr – so whereas DRIVE PILOT is a trailblazer, it nonetheless has limitations. Stage 3 is conditional automation, which means it solely works inside Mercedes’ “Operational Design Area.” Which means heavy site visitors circumstances beneath 40 mph with a lead automobile out there, good climate, good street circumstances, and in well-mapped areas. The driving force additionally wants to have the ability to take the wheel when the automobile tells you to.

Photograph: Mercedes-Benz

Electrek’s Take

Once you drive close to scholar drivers, the automobile is marked ultimately to let you recognize that an inexperienced driver has the wheel. It’s a heads-up.

So, it is sensible that, ultimately, all Stage 3 automated driving EVs have their very own heads-up: standardized lighting that comes on when it’s piloting itself. The truth is, it ought to be required.

So, maybe turquoise will change into the usual colour for automated driving, as Mercedes has proposed. Plenty of completely different gamers must purchase in.

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