Stellantis announces an advanced autopilot system

Stellantis plans to install SAE Level 3 self-driving systems into its European cars, coming to this market niche second after Mercedes. It plans to use Valeo Scala LiDAR equipment for this goal and launch the first production car based on it in two years.

Mercedes-Benz has a feature called Drive Pilot that enables drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel briefly and check the e-mails or social media, for example.

Before Stellantis can begin using Valeo LiDARs in its cars, though, the automotive corporation expects the company to improve their specifications considerably. The requirements include a 12x increase in resolution, a 2.5x wider angle of view, and 3x the operational range (up to 200 meters, or 656 feet).

Carscoops reports that BMW agreed to assist Stellantis in developing the system. This could mean that the same tech will be powering new BMWs as well. Engineers are already conceptualizing higher-tier self-driving solutions, too, but those will most likely be offered for self-driving taxi fleets only and not private customers.

As it stands, even the SAE Level 3 self-driving technology is not street-legal in many countries.