Mercedes-Benz Truck Takes To The Road Without Driver
We recently tested the 2016 Metris, a new midsize van made by Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes recently tested a much larger truck in Germany, a full-size tractor-trailer called the Actros.
What is unique about this Actros is that it is equipped with Highway Pilot, a semi-autonomous driving system meant to alleviate the monotonous tasks of long-distance cargo hauling, like actually steering the vehicle.
- Also: 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris: The Sprinter’s Smaller Cousin
- Also: An Autonomous Mercedes-Benz Convoy
On a stretch of the A8 autobahn spanning about 8 km from Denkendorf to the Stuttgart airport, the self-driving truck merged into regular traffic carrying the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, and Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, board member of Daimler AG responsible for trucks and buses on board.
The truck was driven from a service station to the autobahn by Dr. Bernhard, at which point the truck took over driving duties. Once at the Stuttgart airport, Dr. Bernhard again took the wheel turning the truck around and getting back on the autobahn, allowing the truck to drive its passengers back to the starting point.
The truck, which is based on a production vehicle, is designed to steer, accelerate, brake, and keep a safe distance from vehicles ahead of it, though it requires that a driver monitor traffic and take the controls if needed. If it approaches construction areas, it will ask the driver to take over, and control can be taken over at any time.
Research conducted by Mercedes-Benz has revealed that a driver is 25 percent more alert if relieved of the monotonous task of keeping within a lane on long stretches and negotiating stop-and-go traffic.