Mercedes-Benz To Test Fully Autonomous Vehicles In Beijing

Matthew Broersma,
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A retrofitted Mercedes-Benz car used for Level 4 self-driving tests. Image credit: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Group first international company to be given permit to test Level 4 fully autonomous vehicles on Beijing roads, as Tesla waits

Mercedes-Benz Group has become the first foreign auto firm to be granted permission to test Level 4 fully autonomous vehicle tests on designated roads and motorways in Chinese capital Beijing, the company said.

The permit comes as electric carmaker Tesla continues to wait for permission to test its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology on roads in China.

Mercedes said road tests for Level 4 self-driving would cover moves such as parking, U-turns, entering and exiting roundabouts, passing through toll booths and changing lanes when the vehicle in front slows down.

Level 4 allows a car to “do the driving for most scenarios without human takeover”, the company said.

A retrofitted Mercedes-Benz car used for Level 4 self-driving tests. Image credit: Mercedes-Benz
Image credit: Mercedes-Benz

Full autonomy

Such vehicles are considered fully autonomous and able to navigate without the need for a human driver, although a driver can request to take over.

Mercedes said it would test systems with two S-Class sedans equipped with sensors including lidar, millimetre-wave radar and cameras.

The company previously said it has been testing self-driving vehicles in a closed environment in China since 2021 to adapt its systems to the country’s road infrastructure, including traffic signs and markings, construction areas bus lanes, as well as carrying out algorithm optimisations.

Mercedes was given permission last December to carry out tests in Beijing of Level 3 vehicles, which require a human driver to be available to take over.

The city has made more than 1,160km of public roads accessible to trials involving 384 vehicles from 18 companies as of February, according to state-run newspaper Beijing Daily.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk visited China in April and sought permission to operate a fully driverless robotaxi service in the country.

Interior of a Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot self-driving vehicle. Image credit: Mercedes-Benz
Interior of a Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot Level 3 self-driving vehicle. Image credit: Mercedes-Benz

Driverless vehicles

The company is planning a robotaxi event in October at which it is expected to unveil a purpose-built driverless vehicle.

The company is also seeking a road test licence for autonomous systems testing in China and reports in April said it had made key advances toward such tests, including securing access to high-resolution maps and receiving approval for its data security measures from a regulator.

Last month Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi service expanded into certain busy areas in the central city of Wuhan, as the company prioritises reaching profitability with the service.

Shanghai will soon bring the first driverless taxis to the Pudong district, government-backed news outlet Knews said last month.