Mercedes-Benz Plans To Establish Driverless Limo Service

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

Not to be left behind Silicon Valley companies like Uber and Google, Mercedes-Benz chooses not to rest on its past laurels or live only in the legend of being Germany’s oldest carmaker. Rather Mercedes-Benz is modernizing its fleets with some plans for autonomous vehicles that one can summon on demand. Mercedes-Benz plans to establish a driverless limo service.

Driverless cars are coming into being, and Dieter Zetsche, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz’s parent company, Daimler, has explained to Reuters (h/t Quartz) a bit more regarding its continuing efforts for modern life. Their robotic limousine is “a concrete development goal.” Daimler already owns Car2Go, a mobile car rental service. It is operating as a futuristic self-driving Mercedes-Benz prototype.

Mercedes.jpg1

When today’s babies and toddlers are adult drivers, fully autonomous cars are expected to hit roads (~2025), according to a recent report from Boston Consulting Group. Assuming that is true, what will follow are driverless taxi services much (~35%) cheaper than those with drivers. As with the elevator operator, I wonder, will taxi drivers become extinct at that time. Human drivers are expected become more of backseat drivers in the future as modern car designers plan the future — for safety’s sake as well as convenience.

So many companies — such as BMW (which operates another carsharing service called DriveNow), and some believe even Apple — are going to take part in bringing us this future. Mercedes-Benz will most probably keep on with its “more luxurious and privacy-conducive vehicle,” even in such a transition.

Speaking to the future, Nicholas Brown points out, “the Concept IAA PHEV (a favorite category for Mercedes these days) is equipped with sensors and modules for autonomous driving and communication. This all sounds very futuristic, but what sounds futuristic now might just be another standard feature later!”

Related Stories:

Mercedes-Benz C350e Plug-In Hybrid (Wagon!) Priced At $57,645

Limo Service In Chicago Using Tesla’s Model S EVs Is Booming


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

Cynthia Shahan

Cynthia Shahan, started writing after previously doing research and publishing work on natural birth practices. Words can be used improperly depending on the culture you are in. (Several unrelated publications) She has a degree in Education, Anthropology, Creative Writing, and was tutored in Art as a young child thanks to her father the Doctor. Pronouns: She/Her

Cynthia Shahan has 947 posts and counting. See all posts by Cynthia Shahan