Daimler and Bosch will go a step further in vehicle autonomy by running a free self-driving ride-share pilot program in Silicon Valley.
If you’ve been in a modern Mercedes-Benz vehicle lately, you’re aware they can basically drive themselves. By using radar cruise control and lane-keeping and steering assist systems, cars such as the new S-Class are able to control not only their speed and distance from other vehicles, but also stay in their lane and steer through curves in the road. We recently experienced all of those technologies in the 2018 S560 4MATIC Coupe. Starting in the second half of 2019, Daimler and Bosch will go a step further in vehicle autonomy by running a free self-driving ride-share pilot program in Silicon Valley…sort of.
According to The Verge, using a custom version of NVIDIA’s autonomous vehicle technology, the two companies will offer rides in modified Mercedes-Benz cars along preselected routes. The cars will run some of NVIDIA’s Drive Pegasus autonomous technology, but also use hardware and software designed by Daimler.
At this point, many parts of the venture are unclear. Contracts are currently being worked out. Daimler hasn’t yet decided if the program will use Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans, V-Class vans, or both. No word on how many vehicles will be used, how far they’ll reach, or how many rides they’ll offer. In fact, Daimler hasn’t even finalized an exact city yet. In a press release, the company stated that the pilot program will take place “in a city located in the San Francisco Bay in Silicon Valley.”
What is clear is the fact that although the vehicles (whatever they end up being) will be autonomous, they will not be driverless. Each car will have a driver present who will be in control of a steering wheel and set of pedals, just in case.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
