LOOK MERC, NO HANDS

Benz’s test-bed S-Class sights the future — and spotlights current limitations

Autonomous cars are coming — ready or not — and pioneer MercedesBenz has included Australia on its world tour of the latest hands-offthe-wheel tech. In the gradual automation of the automobile, the steps are small but significant.

Today, a car can steer itself for up to 60 seconds if the lane markings are clear and the road is straight or curves only slightly. Even then the tech can easily stumble, which is why the driver must always remain alert and in control.

This is why there is such a misunderstanding about “autonomous” cars. The term loosely describes various levels of autonomy rather than complete hands-free driving.

The industry has defined levels one to five. The most advanced cars today are at level two.

However, consumers have bypassed what’s merely feasible and they expect cars to be at level five, where cars can fetch and deliver us and may not even have a steering wheel.

That won’t become a reality until well into the next decade. Fully autonomous cars will be used initially in designated precincts that have been mapped to the millimetre and they won’t be available for the public to buy.

Mercedes, among the leaders in the autonomous car race, took a test-bed S-Class from Sydney to Melbourne via Canberra.

Its advanced cameras and radar can, in theory, allow unlimited hands-free driving on freeways. It is also equipped with a more advanced satellite-guided cruise control that applies the brakes and accelerator more aggressively on winding roads, so all the driver needs to do is steer.

It’s also fitted with LED headlights that each have 84 elements. They are no brighter but cast a more accurate beam, blanking out oncoming cars more precisely.

At night the Mercedes test car is able to project an image on the road ahead, such as a pedestrian crossing, to let others know it’s safe to cross and the driver is prepared to wait.

Engineers are even experimenting with projecting a “hook turn” symbol specifically for Melbourne, to let other traffic know the car is waiting to perform a turn across tram lines once the signal turns green.

“We are in Australia because it has unique roads and unique traffic situations and we want to be ready for every possibility,” says Mercedes autonomous driving tech boss Jochen Haab.

“In the future there may not be a steering wheel but that is some way off. For now the driver must be in control but we are working on ways to give the driver extra assistance.”

As advances in technology outpace governments’ ability to draft legislation to accommodate them, policy makers wisely are proceeding with caution. On personal observations so far, the autonomous technology is far from infallible.

NRMA director Tim Trumper says there are “about 700 laws that need to change ... It’s solvable but it’s complex.

“At some point the trust issue will be solved because we just get used to the idea but we’re a long way from that.”

The latest Mercedes test car not only is a glimpse into what is possible in the near future but also underlines just how far we have to go.