Mercedes is the first car manufacturer in the world to receive permission to use it special external marker lights, in the American states of California and Nevada, for two and three years, respectively. These blue lights will allow other users to identify vehicles driving autonomously on American highways.

“With the development of automated side lights, Mercedes-Benz is once again setting new industry standards. We are the first car manufacturer in the world to receive such permits in the United States, including California and Nevada. The more automated vehicles fill the roads, the more important the connection and interaction between the vehicle and the environment become.– says Markus Schäfer, Head of Technology, Development and Procurement at Mercedes-Benz Group.

Turquoise side lights

You may have noticed that cars in the United States are equipped with somewhat unusual side lights in that they are orange to make it easier to distinguish their size, especially at night. Thanks to this new permission, Mercedes will be able to experiment with a new type of indicator light: turquoise side lightsdesigned for improve road safetybecause they make it possible to make the state of the automated driving system clearly visible from the outside to other road users.

It will also allow law enforcement and police officersdetermine the state of the automated driving system, and thus determine whether drivers are allowed to travel with autonomous driving and therefore be able to perform activities other than focusing on driving. These lights comply with SAE J3134 recommendations and have turquoise colored marker lights integrated in the front and rear lights, as well as in the exterior mirrors. They are already equipping several prototype Mercedes-Benz autonomous vehicles in the United States: the Drive Pilot-equipped EQS in California and Nevada.

Better identify autonomous vehicles

THE Drive Pilot system The Level 3 automated driving system received approval in 2021 in Germany, and in 2023 in Nevada and California, USA, where each state requires separate certification. In Germany, the Drive Pilot is already available to order from 2022, while in the United States, the first production EQS and S-Class recently made their debut on the tracks in California and Nevada.

There the color is turquoise was chosen because it meets two main criteria: its visibility allows reliable and quick detection, and it distinguishes itself from other vehicle lighting devices, white, red or orange, thus avoiding confusion. Turquoise is also part of the SAE guidelines (J3134 “ADS Marker Lamps”) to indicate the activation of an automated driving system.

Mercedes-Benz strives standardize the turquoise color as a witness to the state of autonomous driving that will enable its use around the world, and advocates for agreed rules on a global scale to improve safety for all road users. To date, there are no comprehensive regulations for the use of turquoise running lights on production vehicles in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

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