OVERVIEW

SAN FRANCISCO — The awkwardly named F 015 Luxury in Motion is Mercedes-Benz’s take on the future of the automobile. It is radically different. As such it’s not likely to grace Canadian roads until 2030, but it does give an insight into where the company is heading when it comes to autonomous driving.

One of the key reasons for the self-driving car is safety — 90% of all crashes are due to human error. The thinking is simple: Tighten the loose nut behind the wheel and safety will ensue. In fairness, fully automating the automobile is much more than just relieving the chore of driving, it’s also a stress reliever that frees up otherwise wasted commuting time and it has the potential to save millions of litres of fuel because of the driving efficiency. The one thing all agree on is any autonomous car must have a manual mode — M-B says customer acceptance of this evolving technology hinges on this very point.

The driving demonstration saw the F 015 run around a predetermined course doing everything for itself, and it did so in a manner that inspired confidence in the self-driving technology. Inside, the four seats were arranged with the two rear pews facing forward (like a regular car) and the front seats facing rearward, which put the steering wheel behind the rider who would normally be sitting in the driver’s seat. Should the need arise the front seats swivel to face forward, which allows the driver to take the wheel. There is also an acre of space — credit the 3,610 millimetre wheelbase!

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As the F 015 roamed around I chatted with the engineer and enjoyed the six large touch-sensitive screens arranged around the cabin. What they are capable of is remarkable and open up a world of possibilities. The dash screen, for example, has eye-tracking ability so it registers what the driver is looking at and brings it to the fore and then allows hand gestures to change things. The four door-mounted screens are the primary units allowing the riders to track the location of friends along the drive, contact them, pick music and do everything the futurist will be doing as the car does the driving. Don’t like the scenery on the drive? Simply pick something more to your liking and the hi-res door screens make the artificial look surprisingly real.

Likewise, the front and rear fascias communicate with the outside world. They replace eye contact between driver and pedestrian — when the car is slowing, for example, that message is flashed in the front and/or rear panel. It also casts laser light signals on the ground and gives audible commands — “it is safe to cross … thank you.”

The futuristic makeup of the F 015 continues with its carbon-fibre and aluminum body (40% lighter than one constructed of steel). The power is also novel. A 29-kilowatt/hour lithium-ion battery and a fuel cell supply the juice for the plug-in hybrid. The combination delivers a driving range of 1,100-kilometres. Each of the two electric motors, which drive the rear wheels, produce 136 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque. This gives the F 015 a healthy total output of 272 hp along with a run from rest to 100 kilometres an hour of 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 200 km/h.

The final drivetrain configuration is still a work in progress and, I should note, the tester was running on Smart car electric batteries as the larger 29 kW/h unit could not be flown in from Germany.

The F 015 uses short, mid- and long-range radars, ultrasonic sensors, lasers, infrared sensors and a multitude of cameras. The combination monitors the surroundings looking for obstacles — the infrastructure, cars, bicyclists, pedestrians and animals. Much of the technology used in the F 015 is already on the road in the form of self-steering and adaptive cruise control with automatic brake application and lane-keep assist. It is heady stuff.

However, these systems have limitations — cameras cannot “see” when coated with snow and rain/fog renders a laser blind. Using the navigation system to track the car’s location and where it is relative to the road will help solve some of the shortcomings. So will the car’s ability to communicate with the other vehicles and the infrastructure. It was the temporary infrastructure of transmitters tracking the F 015 that allowed it to pilot the course with incredible precision (to within 20 mm).

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The autonomous future is up in the air at this point. The technology must work all the time, every time regardless of the driving conditions. It can be likened to the “indestructible” toy. What an adult can’t break is broken in minutes when it’s given to a child. So it is with autonomous driving — it will mandate a level of testing that goes beyond anything currently being done. The fact there is no worldwide standard for autonomous driving is not helping things either.

In spite of all of the hurdles, Mercedes-Benz is optimistic about the future saying it is on the cusp of a new driving era — reinventing the car is not overstating the point. Riding in the F 015 convinced me the technology works. Yes, there is a lot of work ahead, but the day of the self-driving car is inching ever closer. One day I will hang up my driving gloves, sit back, relax and read the newspaper on the way to work.