Stuttgart / Germany and San José / California-USA - The joint project of Bosch and Mercedes-Benz to develop urban autonomous driving has reached a new stage. The pilot project for the application-based vehicle recall service using autonomous Mercedes-Benz Class S vehicles was launched in the area known as Silicon Valley in San José. Autonomous vehicles followed by a driver for safety are commuting between San Carlos and Stevens Creek Boulevard Streets between West San José and the city center. The service will first be presented to a selected group of users and users will benefit from an application developed by Daimler Mobility AG to book a trip with autonomous Class S vehicles from their desired pickup point to their destination.
Bosch and Mercedes-Benz believe that this pilot project will provide valuable input into the further development of SAE Level 4/5 autonomous driving systems. The partners also hope to gain more insight into how autonomous vehicles can be integrated into a hybrid mobility system that includes public transport and car sharing.
Bosch, Mercedes-Benz, San José - Partners for future mobility
In the middle of 2017, San José was the first US city to invite private companies to perform autonomous driving field tests and analyze the increasing challenges in road traffic. Particularly in congested city traffic, the continuous 360 degree of environmental detection of driverless cars can potentially improve safety and smooth driving patterns can improve the flow of traffic. An We want to learn more about how autonomous vehicles can help cities make traffic flows smoother and safer, as well as move mobility to a more accessible, sustainable and inclusive location, Dol said Dolan Beckel, San José's City Innovation Manager. San José wants to be a smart city and make the traffic system suitable for the future with modern and innovative technologies. The project, carried out by Bosch and Mercedes-Benz, fits perfectly. ”
Bosch City Autonomous Driving Engineering Manager Michael Fausten said, “If autonomous driving is going to become a reality we will see every day, technology needs to work in a healthy and reliable way. At this point, we need tests like our pilot project in San José. ” Mercedes-Benz AG Autonomous Driving Manager Uwe Keller said, ot It's not just autonomous vehicles that need to prove good. We also need to prove their suitability as part of the urban mobility puzzle. We can test both at San José..
Bosch and Mercedes-Benz partner in the US and Europe
Bosch and Mercedes-Benz have been working together for nearly two and a half years on autonomous driving solutions in cities. Both companies aim to provide an SAE Level 4 / 5 driving system for fully autonomous and driverless vehicles, including vehicle management software. However, they are not interested in prototypes and instead want to develop a production-ready system that can be integrated into different vehicle types and models. In a software development study that controls vehicle movement, partners do not rely solely on artificial intelligence and measurement of test kilometers. Utilizing the simulations, the engineers developed test sites specifically addressing extremely rare driving situations in road traffic. To this end, engineers working at the Immendingen test and technology center in Germany can use the 100.000 square meter test area, which is specifically designed for autonomous driving. Here, complex traffic situations can be created with extremely high accuracy and at the desired frequency.
Integrity and safety are among the top priorities for Bosch and Mercedes-Benz. Part of the team is located in Sunnyvale, a Silicon Valley city between San José and San Francisco, while the other consists of engineers from both companies in the Stuttgart region.
Two companies bring together their technical knowledge and experience
Regardless of where they are located, Bosch and Mercedes-Benz employees work together. This ensures short decision-making channels and a rapid exchange of information between different areas. At the same time, employees always have access to the knowledge and expertise of their colleagues in their parent company. Here, Bosch’s technical know-how, from sensors, control units and steering and brake control systems to all automotive subsystems, comes together with Mercedes-Benz’s many years of experience in systems integration and automotive production. The tasks within the project are also divided in the same way. Mercedes-Benz is tasked with preparing the jointly developed drive system for installation in the vehicle and providing the necessary test vehicles, test areas and test fleets. Bosch develops and produces the components required for autonomous driving in urban areas.
Platform allows integration of autonomous vehicles into taxi fleets
Bosch and Mercedes-Benz have now taken on a new partner specifically for their autonomous ride-hailing pilot project: Daimler Mobility AG is developing and testing a fleet platform to accompany the pilot operation phase. This enables potential ride-hailing partners to seamlessly integrate driverless (Mercedes-Benz) vehicles into their service portfolio. The platform manages both driverless and conventional vehicles, including operations and maintenance. An app-based mobility service for conventionally operated Mercedes-Benz vehicles went into operation in the Bay Area in autumn 2019. The service is also available in the German capital Berlin.
