Mercedes-Benz pushing for automatic lane-change approval in Australia

Mercedes-Benz is working to have automatic lane-changing and overtaking technology approved by Australian authorities for its latest models, allowing vehicles to automatically initiate a lane change and overtake slower-moving vehicles on major roads.

No less than 15 models in Europe – spanning C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, GLC, CLE and many of its EQ electric cars – can now be equipped with the advanced automatic lane change (ALC) system, either ex-factory or via an over-the-air update.

Market-specific versions of the ALC system are also available in North America and China, adapted to their unique traffic conditions and respective legal requirements, but still holding true to the principle that the car decides when to overtake and then executes the move.

It can also initiate an automatic lane change at tricky motorway junctions or exits when the sat-nav is operating, keeping you in the correct lane.

In Australia, regulatory authorities are yet to approve the ALC technology, which comes under current Level 2 semi-autonomous systems (though referred to as Level 2+ by Mercedes-Benz), so the driver remains responsible at all times.

The system will also only work on suitable motorways, where there’s at least two separate lanes and the car’s cameras can detect the lane markings. Sufficient free space, as determined by the car, must also be available before it goes ahead and overtakes.

But Mercedes-Benz is keen to offer the technology here and is working with the relevant federal agencies, such as the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, to have it approved.

“There’s no firm timeframe in place yet, but the good news is that cars can be updated over-the-air,” said Mercedes-Benz Cars Australia head of media relations and brand engagement, Jerry Stamoulis.

“Timing is difficult to say at this stage … we’ve just got to go through the process.”

Stamoulis said the Australian subsidiary was keen to introduce every new advanced safety system being developed by Mercedes-Benz worldwide and to demonstrate the technology to key decision-makers at special events, such as the ‘Intelligent Drive Insight’ set up at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne this week.

Here, safety experts from Germany conducted a broad range of demonstrations showing the German car-maker’s latest advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

They also took a run out on the freeway to show how ALC would work in conjunction with its Active Distance Assist Distronic (active cruise control).

The Australian version would need to be tweaked to revise the European speed limit operating range, which is 80km/h to 140km/h.

And as Mercedes-Benz’s global ADAS engineer Matthias Kaiser explained to carsales, ALC will also need tailoring to our unique road conditions.

“Getting regulation [approval] is one part, and of course we need to test that system [on Australian roads] before we hand it over to customers,” he said.

“It always depends on the local infrastructure – for example, we are talking about map data, specific lane markings, local laws and driving behaviour. This is something we always take into account when delivering the system.

“The experience all over the world is always adapted to the market. One special thing in Australia, in my opinion, is coping with animals, with roadkill, for example, which is where we’ll need to do some more work.

“And also the infrastructure base for traffic sign regulations, and different [types of] traffic signs – those traffic sign bridges with pulsing LEDs, for example, have to be adapted for the stereo camera – so for reliability there are some things to do before we introduce the system.”

Kaiser also pointed to the fact that the ALC system was first introduced in the US in 2023, but has only just now become available – from June 19, 2024 – in Europe, “so we’ve had a period of almost one year in between, so this could also be something [that occurs] for Australia”.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au