New Mercedes-Benz E-Class becomes first vehicle to be awarded test license for autonomous driving

Thanks to an enormous leak from a Czech magazine just ahead of its official unveil at the ongoing Detroit Auto Show, details of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class have been fully revealed by now. Redesigning a model as hugely successful and important as the E-Class requires quite some radical rethinking but, judging by the warm reception it got, it seems that Mercedes-Benz has succeeded at it.  

And now, the new E-Class has just been awarded an autonomous driving license in the state of Nevada, USA, becoming the first standard-production car to do so. According to Mercedes-Benz, other driverless cars under evaluation there require extra sensors or other modifications. However, the E-Class already has the necessary technology, and engineers only need to tweak the Drive Pilot control software before hitting the road, hence the award.

There’s a small catch though. As with other autonomous cars in the US state, the new E-Class will have to have a driver and passenger onboard to take control when turning, merging and departing lanes. Other than that, the German luxury sedan will be permitted to drive itself.

"The fact that Mercedes-Benz is the world's first vehicle manufacturer to be awarded such a license shows that we are a step ahead when it comes to autonomous driving. The new E Class is therefore another big step to the fully automated vehicle." Mercedes Research and Development boss Prof. Thomas Weber said.

Mercedes will begin testing three models in the state and the experiences learned from the testing will be used in the continued development of autonomous driving technology. The test vehicles are identified by a red license plate reserved for autonomous driving. Nevada passed autonomous driving rules in June 2011. Two self-driving Daimler trucks have been in operation on public roads since May.