Mercedes: Turquoise Lights for Autonomous Driving Mode – But Why?

Mercedes-Benz has received approval in California and Nevada to use turquoise lights on the exterior to indicate that the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode. In California, this approval is currently a special license limited to two years, which only applies to development vehicles.

With the light markers built into the headlights, rear lights and rear-view mirror housings, the Mercedes Drive Pilot indicates that the computer is now controlling the vehicle. However, this “autonomous driving mode” is only SAE Level 3, for which the Drive Pilot is approved, which may only be used on freeways at under 40 miles per hour (about 64 km/h) with a lead vehicle. Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

However, these light markers are neither the “new benchmark”, as the Mercedes-Benz press release would like us believe, nor the great “technological innovation” that the media are making out. Drive.AI, a self-driving technology start-up acquired by Apple in 2019, has already tested LED monitors to indicate to the environment which driving mode it is in and also to communicate other messages with its surroundings.

But what exactly do these light markers mean? They don’t really say anything like “I’ve seen you” or “You can now cross the road, I will wait for you”. So what do you expect other road users to do, or what behavior can they expect from the illuminated Mercedes? This immediately leads us to the fact that people first have to learn that these illuminated markers have a meaning. Who exactly trains them? At the end of the day, these markers are nothing more than “baby on board” stickers. Am I changing my behavior? Not really…

Also further challenges are already pre-programmed with these light markers. Other manufacturers have already experienced that autonomous cars are treated aggressively by other road users. They are cut off, their right of way is taken away and even cases of tailgating have been observed. There are also repeated situations where pedestrians deliberately block the vehicles.

It was also noted that the light color could easily lead to confusion with emergency vehicles, because the turquoise of Mercedes and the blue of emergency vehicles can easily be confused.

Furthermore, these light markers show that Mercedes-Benz is still relying on a model from a mixed company. The vehicle is to be controlled by both humans and computers. Only then is such a display necessary. If they were designed entirely as autonomous vehicles, these turquoise light markers would not be needed. The shape of the vehicle and the visible sensors would already make it clear that this is an autonomous vehicle.

A more important technological innovation or the setting of new standards would be for Mercedes-Benz to really demonstrate autonomous driving at level 4 and not constantly get bogged down in such small activities. To me, it’s like trying to get to the moon by building an ever longer ladder.

This article was also published in German.