Tag Archives: Autonomous driving

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Tesla Makes History With World’s First Autonomous Car Delivery

Tesla has once again pushed the boundaries of automotive innovation by releasing footage of what it claims is the world’s first fully autonomous vehicle delivery. In a groundbreaking demonstration, a Tesla Model Y drove itself from the company’s Gigafactory in Texas directly to the new owner’s home—without a driver, passengers, or any form of remote control.

“This Tesla drove itself from its factory in Texas to its new owner’s home, about 30 minutes away, crossing parking lots, highways and the city to reach its new owner,” the company confirmed.

The vehicle, equipped with Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, navigated complex real-world conditions at speeds reaching up to 72 mph (approximately 116 km/h), according to Ashok Elluswamy, head of Tesla’s AI and Autopilot division. The event marks a significant milestone in the company’s ambitious roadmap toward full autonomy.

Interestingly, the delivery came a day earlier than CEO Elon Musk had previously announced, adding an unexpected twist to an already historic moment. Musk had earlier stated that the first autonomous handover would take place on June 28.

This achievement follows another major development in Tesla’s autonomous portfolio: the public debut of its long-awaited robotaxi service. On Monday, the company launched the pilot phase of fully autonomous ride-hailing, deploying a small fleet of Model Y vehicles operating within a geofenced area in Austin’s South Congress neighborhood. Though driverless in function, each vehicle currently includes a Tesla employee onboard to ensure safety during this early phase.

Access to the pilot service is currently limited to a select group of invitees, including prominent influencers and early investors. Each ride is priced at $4.20—a nod, perhaps, to Musk’s well-known affinity for internet culture and symbolism.

Tesla’s FSD system eschews the industry-standard LIDAR in favor of a vision-based architecture powered by onboard cameras and proprietary computing hardware. While the company’s approach has sparked debate within the autonomous driving community, this recent delivery and the robotaxi rollout suggest Tesla is confident in the real-world viability of its strategy.

Whether it’s a marketing masterstroke or a genuine leap forward in self-driving technology, Tesla’s autonomous delivery has undeniably set a new benchmark in the automotive world.

Source: Tesla via YouTube

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Tesla Makes History With World’s First Autonomous Car Delivery
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STLA AutoDrive is Stellantis’ first automated driving system

Stellantis has developed its first automated driving system that enables hands-free and eyes-off driving (SAE Level 3), STLA AutoDrive. This system operates at speeds up to 60 km/h and is designed primarily for city traffic.

STLA AutoDrive is Stellantis’s response to similar competitor systems, which allows the driver to enjoy driving more because the car can now steer, brake and monitor traffic independently thanks to an advanced sensor system and automatic sensor cleaning that ensure stable operation. The driver can use this time for other tasks, such as answering emails or simply relaxing.

The system is designed on a flexible platform and supports cloud-based software upgrades, which will enable incremental functionality. At higher speeds, the system operates in Level 2 and 2+ modes (adaptive cruise control and lane positioning). At that moment, the driver’s attention is required so that he can intervene in time if necessary.

Also, Stellantis announced that in the future, some models could receive Hands-Free and Eyes-Off upgrades, which enable independent driving at speeds of up to 95 km/h and off-road autopilot.

Source: Stellantis

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Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot enables a speed of up to 95 km/h

As announced in September, Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot officially enables autonomous driving at 95 km/h. It is the fastest certified SAE Level 3 autonomous driving system for production vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz cars have become the fastest cars in the world homologated with a level 3 autonomous driving system. “With the help of this system, our customers can use their time more efficiently. Mercedes-Benz is once again setting standards in the industry and is constantly paving the way for autonomous driving.” said Markus Schafer, member of the Board of Management of the Mercedes-Benz Group.

Drive Pilot is available as an option for the S-Class and EQS and costs 5,950 euros including tax. Cars equipped with the system will receive the upgrade for free via Over-the-Air Update or during a service visit. No hardware changes are required.

Mercedes’ autonomous system has a redundant architecture that includes electronics, steering and brakes. All key functions are secured in case of failure. If the driver does not take control for any reason, Drive Pilot will automatically stop the vehicle and activate the warning lights.

Source: Mercedes-Benz