FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Benz's autonomous achievement

A Mercedes-Benz S 500 has successfully self-driven a 100km course through German countryside and cities, underlining the company’s determination to bring the first autonomous driving car to market by the end of the decade.

The course, from Mannheim to Pforzheim in south-west Germany, followed the same route driven by Bertha Benz 125 years ago in husband Carl Benz’s patent motor car. It was regarded as the first long-distance automobile journey and crucial in validating the car as suitable for everyday use.

The successful completion of the same route in August by the S 500 Intelligent Drive is clearly being played as a moment almost as significant by Mercedes-Benz.

It was announced at a media event on the eve of the Frankfurt motor show last night.

“My personal estimate is: We will be driving autonomously in a Mercedes before the end of this decade,” research and development boss Dr Thomas Weber said.

Planning, testing and detailed mapping required for the drive on the ‘Big Bertha Route’ began in early 2012.

The drive purposefully avoided autobahns and instead tackled country highways, suburban roads and city streets, stopping at zebra crossing, obeying speed limits and traffic signs, dodging or stopping for obstacles and choosing the right exits to take at intersections and roundabouts on the pre-mapped route interpreted by a highly automated ‘route pilot’.

The S 500 Intelligent Drive employed sensor technologies already available in the current S- and E-class, which already offer limited autonomous driving, but with the number of sensors increased to match demand. However, Dr Weber warned there were still obstacles to be overcome.

“You will have to be patient for a little longer, because technical revolutions on this scale take time,” he said.

“Our focus is primarily on three important aspects: We need even more computing power for data processing, and we need optimised map data for orientation. And, not least, we need to have a dialogue with legislators to make road traffic laws fit for autonomous driving.”

Autonomous driving isn’t actually legal in the European Union and special dispensation is required for testing in Germany, with a ‘driver’ required behind the wheel at all times, if not actually driving.

Audi, BMW and Nissan are all car companies that have committed to autonomous driving programs, while supplier Continental and the internet search engine Google are also developing its own autonomous vehicle technologies.

Dr Weber said improving safety was Mercedes-Benz’s primary motivation for pushing ahead with autonomous driving.

“Unlike us humans, electronic helpers never get tired, are never absent minded and have zero reaction time. And that can save lives. At the end of the day, six out of seven accidents are the result of driver error.”

He also stressed that while Mercedes-Benz recognised the freedom and independence cars provide to us, autonomous driving alleviated the boredom and stress of certain driving situations.

“Nobody wants a big brother in the car. However, a friend who frees us from chores or helps us in complex situations is very welcome.”

While Dr Weber expects to be selling self-driving Benzes in Europe by 2020, the wait could be much loner here, predicts Mercedes-Benz Australia Pacific Senior Communications Manager, David McCarthy.

“The legislative framework around that is the challenge rather than the technology,” he said. “The speed signs, the road line markings, all that sort of stuff, that’s the challenge. It’s the road infrastructure that is going to mitigate against it and Australia doesn’t have a good history in that regard.”

“We don’t have speed limit recognition in our cars because it doesn’t work in Australia because all the speed signs are all over the place.”