Mercedes-Benz starts pilot-testing its prototype autonomous taxis

KUALA LUMPUR: The mother company of Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, has partnered with Bosch, to commence deploying the prototypes of an S-Class self-driving taxi with Mercedes-Benz nameplate in San Jose, California.

The report was declared after the head of Mercedes-Benz Cars and Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Ola Källenius, showed his concerns regarding the regulation that the brand is practising with its autonomous technologies.

According to the reports, a total of 30 prototypes will be set for testing. Daimler has revealed its plans for pilot-testing in the month of November, last year, declaring that San Jose was the proposed city to evaluate its lineup of on-demand completely automated (SAE level 4/5) ride-hailing taxis.

In addition to that, a memorandum of understanding was also signed by Bosch, Daimler, and the city of San Jose to attempt and conclude the activity, which was earlier set to begin during the second half of current year.

A brand representative stated in an interview “We have not put the project on ice. We are looking at where we can improve efficiency and gain synergies, so we don’t unnecessarily duplicate or triplicate our development work. This pilot program is about capturing the user experience.”

The report mentioned above highlighted the fact that the principal aim of Bosch and Daimler’s self-driving fully-automated taxi tests is to gather information not only from the vehicle themselves but also from the pedestrians and buyers. The move endeavours to offer a solution to what would enforce buyers to take advantage of this service.

Moreover, Daimler is not the only brand who want to get its autonomous car tested in the roads of California. According to the reports, more than 60 brands were given the green signal by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), including car manufacturers like Nissan, BMW, Volkswagen, and Subaru, and tech brands such as Nvidia, Apple, Waymo, and Samsung.

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