Mercedes-Benz: Always Ahead of the Curve
Autonomous and self-driving cars are getting a ton of press lately, with companies like Google and Audi promising the first wave of intelligent cars that drive themselves. Like just about everything in the automotive universe though, Mercedes was there first. From the invention of the first car, to the first implementation of literally dozens of safety and technology features, Mercedes is always a pioneer.
Mercedes-Benz has actually been researching autonomous tech for three decades now. Back in 1985, Benz started the Eureka-Prometheus project to develop and test technology that would increase safety and reduce congestion. The first prototypes used cameras mounted front and rear to watch traffic and react. This was the beginning of systems that we use today like parking and lane change assists. Ten years after that momentous leap, Mercedes built a prototype S-Class that was able to travel to Copenhagen from Munich, and it did so almost entirely autonomously. The test was so successful that it prompted Benz to implement adaptive cruise control into the next S-Class.
Since that time Mercedes has been increasing the number of driver aids available under its new Intelligent Drive label, and now they have created the F 015 Luxury in Motion concept. With a hybrid drivetrain that gives the car a nearly 700 mile range, and full autonomous capability, Mercedes thinks that this is the future of the automobile, as highlighted in the video below.
While I would still prefer to flog a mighty V8 AMG machine with my own hands, I can appreciate the level of science and engineering that goes into projects like this. So I call out to all you urbanites in your compact cars that despise clogged streets: please invest in autonomous tech. The sooner you can get the hell off my roads, the sooner I can absolutely beat on any car of my choosing without having to worry about the dumb schmuck ahead of me doing 10 under the speed limit, swerving like a drunk because he is looking at his phone.
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