Mercedes First to Launch Level 3 ADAS in US

Welcome to the Ride AI Newsletter, your weekly digest of important events and new developments at the intersection of technology and transportation. 

New Pod

On the latest episode of Ride AI, our host Ed Niedermeyer talks to Tyson Jominy, VP of Data & Analytics for J.D. Power, about the recent dynamics in the car market. They touch on COVID, the EV market, the prospect of another truck/SUV slowdown, and how these are all related. It’s a great listen for anyone who wants to understand the origins of the recent tumult in big auto. Listen in.

What You Need to Know Today

Waymo is setting its sights on Atlanta. The self-driving company, owned by Alphabet, says it will start deploying robotaxis in Georgia’s largest city over the next few months. For now, the robotaxis will have human safety operators in the front seat, but the company plans to test fully autonomous driving in the future.

Mercedes is launching US sales for its Level 3 ADAS system, becoming the first automaker to do so. For now the cars will be able to operate autonomously only under very specific conditions.“Mercedes-Benz's take on Level 3, available through a set of features call Drive Pilot, only works in clear weather, during the day, on some specific freeways in California and Nevada, and only when the car is traveling less than 40 miles per hour. Finally, it's only available in Merc's EQS and S-Class sedans.”

Tesla reported its profit fell 55% in the first quarter of 2024, year-over-year, as demand for EVs cooled off. In response to weakening car sales, Elon Musk is counting on Tesla’s robotaxi release in August to get the company back on the growth path. (Although contrary to rumors, Musk claims Tesla has not abandoned its plans to produce a lower-cost car in 2025.)

Ahead of the tough earnings report, Tesla cut the price of its ADAS software by one-third, from $12,000 to $8,000. The move came one week after Musk had lowered the monthly subscription fee for this feature from $199 to $99.

In other Tesla news, a Model S driver in Washington state was arrested for homicide after hitting a motorcyclist on Autopilot without paying attention.

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The California legislature has advanced a bill that would allow local governments within the state to set their own rules regarding the operation of AVs.

Meanwhile a pair of US senators are calling for a crackdown on autonomous-vehicle technology, arguing that advances in ADAS are outpacing NHTSA’s regulatory authority.

Serve Robotics, the sidewalk robot delivery firm backed by Uber and Nvidia, has made its stock-market debut via SPAC.

What it’s like to take a ride on Seoul’s new self-driving night bus.

Related: Britain’s first self-driving city-center bus network, which will provide fare-free trips in Sunderland in the northeast of England, will be up and running within a matter of months.

Amazon is halting drone deliveries in Lockeford, California—its second US drone delivery site—but plans to launch service in Tolleson, Arizona later this year.

Mobileye has received orders to deliver 46 million of its EyeQ6 Light ADAS chips to automakers in the coming years.

The US Air Force has confirmed the first successful AI dogfight. 

MAN has become the first commercial vehicle manufacturer to send an autonomous truck onto the German motorway.