The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has always been the automaker’s most technologically advanced model, debuting most of the company’s groundbreaking technologies over the years.
As Google’s recent initiative demonstrates, autonomous driving is the next big thing for the future of the automobile, and Mercedes-Benz is currently testing self-driving technology in the S 500 Intelligent Drive Concept, a complex prototype able to drive itself in all sorts of conditions.
The car even re-created the world’s first long-distance drive last year, traveling in fully autonomous mode from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany for approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles). The same drive had been undertaken by Bertha Benz in 1888 in the Benz Patent Motorwagen.
Now Mercedes-Benz has released a video in which it explains the challenges behind the trip and the systems that allow the S 500 Intelligent Drive prototype to cover long distances without any driver inputs.
Whether you like it or not, autonomous driving will become a reality, but it remains to be seen how it will influence the automotive industry and especially consumers. Here’s to hoping we will never be forced to give up on driving.
By Dan Mihalascu
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