Attention, everybody! Attention! I have an announcement to make, one that it looks like needs announcing far more often than I’d like. It’s about automated driving tech, and, more specifically, the terminology we used when talking about such tech. I’ll be the first to admit that the terminology can be confusing, and this confusion has the potential to really mislead people about how automated driving-assist systems actually work, which can lead to people misunderstanding the capabilities of such systems, which can then lead to actual safety concerns. So let’s just take a moment to address a recently popular bit of nonsense, what some carmakers are calling “Level 2++”
We’ve been seeing more of this recently because Mercedes-Benz just announced they’re dropping their Level 3 automated driving system (which is itself a whole disgusting can of confusing worms) and is instead focusing on their MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, which they have been referring to as a “Level 2++” system.
It’s not even subtle; here, look at this video about the system they released:
It’s possible that you, a healthy, well-adjusted person with a rich, full social life, has never really bothered to think about these automated driving levels, and you may not realize why I feel this is so dangerous and stupid. If that’s the case, mazel tov on your fulfilling life, and allow me to explain a bit.
The problem with saying an automated driving system is Level 2++ – or even Level 2+, a term that automated driving tech company Mobileye uses – is that these sorts of terms attempt to turn the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) automated driving classification system into something that it is fundamentally not. Remember, the Levels of Driving Automation are not a measure of how much or how good a given automated driving system is: the levels only indicate the division of responsibility between the human and the machine. That’s it.
Do I need to pull out the chart again? Fine, here’s the chart:
All the levels refer to is the division of labor between you and your car. Level 1 is all you, human. Level 2 means the car is performing some amount of the driving task, but you must be monitoring it nonstop and ready to take over at any moment. Level 3 is a real mess, because there’s really no one in charge. Sometimes the car is in total control, and you don’t need to pay attention, until you do, then you’re in control. As far as I can tell no company has described exactly how to make those handoffs work well.
Level 4 means the car is in charge completely, at least within certain boundaries; robotaxi companies like Waymo are at this level. And Level 5 is pure magic, a car that just drives on its own everywhere, all the time.
That’s it! That’s all the levels mean! It has nothing to do with how advanced a driving assist system is or what sorts of capabilities it has. If it cannot be absolutely trusted on its own and it needs a human driver to be always watching, that’s Level 2, no matter if it’s Tesla’s FSD or GM’s SuperCruise or Mercedes-Benz’ MB.DRIVE ASSIST. Those are all Level 2 because they all leave the human driver in ultimate control of everything and on the hook if anything goes wrong.
That means, yes, the people in this Tesla from a video that’s been making the rounds, who are sleeping while the car drives itself using FSD, are being idiots, and should anything go wrong, it will be 100% their fault, because FSD is still a Level 2 system that requires constant human oversight, period.
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Adding one or two pluses after the Level 2 is simply nonsensical. Level 2 isn’t a level of driving advancement or skill; it just means a human has to be watching all the time. Logically, you would think a Level 2++ system then would need more human focus and attention, because, again, Level 2 means a person must be watching, so slapping a ++ to the name would mean you’d better be really flapping watching.
Terms like Level 2++ just confuse consumers, who are already confused. Mercedes is using the term because they believe their system is so advanced, it needs to have a different label than other L2 systems, but they couldn’t be more wrong. They’re conflating two different things: the supervision category of the SAE Levels and some general idea of technological sophistication. But you just can’t do that.
That’d be like saying you have a six-year-old kid who you can’t leave at home alone without a babysitter, but they’re a really smart kid, and they can read and make awesome things out of Lego, so you call them your Kid++. Does this mean that because your 6-year-old Kid++ is good at lots of things and can heat up their own Hot Pocket, you can just leave them on their own for a weekend? Hell no. But this is exactly what Mercedes-Benz is doing with that Level 2++ name. It doesn’t matter what it’s capable of: it’s still a Level 2 system, and you still have to babysit it.
It’s just stupid marketing crap, but in this case it’s stupid marketing crap that actively confuses drivers and obfuscates what these systems’ capabilities actually are. People already wildly overestimate what their automated driver assisted systems can do; widespread use of these terms – and media outlets just accepting them – just makes everything worse. The SAE level system is already confusing enough to people, so why do this?
There is no such thing as Level 2+ or Level 2++. Or, for that matter, Level 2+++ or Level 3+ or Level 4- or any other marketing idiocy. Levels do not indicate what the systems do; only how they work with you, the human. Period.
Top graphic image: Mercedes Benz/YouTube
News has a delivery self driving robot sitting still as a high speed train hit it.
And there is also no such thing as ADAS Level 2.5, Chery, that chinese automaker, has always been bragging about their “ADAS Level 2.5” and it sickens me as their ADAS is not particularly smooth, can’t do lane changes, and is definitely not worth of bragging to be “0.5” above the standard.
It sickens me how some Chinese automakers really over-exaggerating their features and capability on some things.
(Also always felt weird with some of the car’s tagline / slogans)
https://cherycentral.co.id/storage/media/Brochure%20Omoda%20E5%202024.pdf
check this OMODA E5 Brochure!
I give this article an A++++
I have heard engineers use “L2+” to refer to hands free supervised systems
The reason for this mess is that there was no really aligned term for hands-off L2 systems, such as the Super Cruise. Therefore, the term L2+ started to appear. However, these L2+ systems were only for dedicated stretches of road. So when companies then started to be able to offer hands-off L2 systems that could perform outside of these stretches, the name L2++ was invented.
I agree that this is confusing, as the SAE scale is about responsibilities of the driving task not about how advanced and capable the vehicle is within one level.
And, looking at history, you can expect L3+ systems that works on all highways and L3++ city capable systems to enter the market within the coming years…
This almost seems to me like they want to sell you a car with Level 3 capabilities, but the company is only taking Level 2 responsibility of their technology. Typical dystopian scumbag company bullshit, I hope one day we can regulate this shit again
I really liked when Waymo called it “learning to handle complex scenarios” when their cars passed school buses with their stop signs extended and lights flashing. Um, you didn’t think to teach the cars this scenario beforehand? What would Waymo have called it if one of their cars injured or killed a kid?
I’m sorry but that wasn’t a “complex scenario” it’s one that happens tens or hundreds of thousands of times per day, twice a day in this country. It should have been in the top ten of “complex scenarios” a Level 4 system can handle every time, without fail.
i encourage Autopians everywhere to read THE essential book on this topic: “Robot, Take the Wheel” by J.Torchinsky.
Dystopian future: old-fashioned meatbag-controlled vehicles will be banned from the roadways so that lazy pukes can watch Drama Box instead of driving.
This is 100% intentional by every auto maker that is doing this. They know the SAE ratings and what they mean. They know they can’t even achieve Level 3, so they lie and use plus signs (and FSD) to deceive people into buying their products. This should be illegal and enforced by our governments, but those idiot politicians have drunk the KoolAid.
Drunk the koolaid = accepted the bribes
My 1962 has a hand throttle I can pull out, to maintain speed without touching any pedals, and if the road is straight (and flat) I don’t have to correct the steering wheel for several seconds. I think we should call it “Level Classic” self driving?
(In DK “Classic” is slang for “old cheap one”: The original VAZ/Lada – the Fiat 124 shaped one – was sold as Lada Classic here, when it was getting really long in the tooth in the 90ies. And one of our most straight beers – which is not bad at all – is the Tuborg Classic, it’s used several other places in commercial products)
My little car has all the doodads to achieve level 2 but it doesn’t have any autonomous mode at all as that would make it the Ultimate Passenger Machine (TM). Other than the rare, car wanting to steer itself when I want it to go another way, occasions, I barely notice the tech is even there.