Mercedes-Benz has become the first automotive company to receive authorization to identify its autonomous driving models with specific lighting in the states of California and Nevada, in the United States.
In this way, the German brand has announced that the authorization to test vehicles in California is initially limited to two years, and autonomous driving vehicles will use turquoise marking lights whenever they drive autonomously on highways.
The authorization in Nevada applies to Mercedes-Benz production vehicles from 2026 and will remain valid until legislative changes are introduced. It should be noted that the level 3 autonomous driving system, Drive Pilot, from Mercedes-Benz is available in the United States in the S-Class and EQS models.
According to the SAE standard, level three allows for autonomous driving under certain conditions. When this happens, the driver can take their eyes off the road and the system only works at speeds up to 64 km/h.
The inclusion of marking lights is designed to significantly increase public acceptance of autonomous driving and thus contribute to road safety, as the lights allow the exterior to identify when the vehicle is operating with the autonomous driving system.
The Mercedes Drive Pilot system received certification in 2021 in Germany, and in 2023 in the states of Nevada and California, USA, where each state requires separate certification. In Germany, the system has been available for ordering since 2022, while in the United States, the first production vehicles recently debuted on the highways of California and Nevada.
