The Mercedes-Benz S 500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE research vehicle is going down in history. It has found its place in the company’s museum after successfully completing the distance run by Bertha Benz in 1886, from Mannheim to Pforzheim in 2013 while driving autonomously.
Three years after the world’s first autonomous journey, the car dearly called “Bertha” was the first to prove that self-driving cars are not science fiction any more. With this historical trip, taking place 125 years after the travel of Bertha Benz, the S 500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE followed into the footsteps of the first-ever automobile. And now, the limousine gets what it deserves: its place of honor in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. The car goes on display in the Atrium, from July 26th to September 25th.
Packed with high tech features and computing power, the Mercedes-Benz S 500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE was the preview of what the new E-Class, the smartest business limousine ever built, is today.
“The sum of technologies for the interconnection of state-of-the-art assistance systems makes the E-Class the most intelligent saloon in its class – a digital native,” explains Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.
The exclusive sedan with innovative features such as DRIVE PILOT and Active Brake Assist, has already been certified for autonomous driving trials in Nevada, but still cannot be left entirely independent in every day traffic. Sensors are weather-dependent, so heavy rain or snowfall could cause the failure.
Next level in development include the precise environment recognition for improving image interpretation and better environment recognition in order to take the pressure off the driver. Yet, the person behind the wheel still holds responsibility for all actions and must be able to take control of the car at any time given.
