NEW DELHI: German luxury car giant Mercedes-Benz, looking to make safety a core brand value, plans to leverage the growing ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) technology to enhance the safety of its vehicles.
In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3.6 and SDG 11.2), Mercedes-Benz recently announced its Vision Zero 2050, committing to reduce road deaths by 50% by 2030, based on 2020 figures, and to achieve The following goal: global accident-free driving by 2050.
Mercedes-Benz’s ambition to achieve zero accidents in its cars is driven by the philosophy of “real-life safety” and supported by the group’s own accident research department, which has more than 50 years of experience analyzing real-world accidents. In recent years, the study has expanded to include parts of India to make accident-free driving a reality in all markets.
On this journey, its recently launched EQS in India has 20 sensors for ADAS functions alone. The car has 4 cameras, 1 stereo multipurpose camera, 1 long-range radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors.
The EQS was one of the main exhibits at the 3rd India Safe Roads Summit, hosted by Mercedes-Benz India R&D Centre, the luxury automaker’s largest R&D center outside Germany.
However, if road users do not obey traffic rules or do not use on-board safety systems, the effectiveness of the safety systems may be compromised.
Professor Paul Dick, Head of Vehicle Safety at Mercedes-Benz AG, said: “To reinforce our commitment to making roads safer worldwide, we are announcing our commitment to our Vision of Zero Accident Driving by 2050. This is our holistic and data-driven approach approach to protecting all road users through active and passive safety systems, and we are committed to making this happen.”
In line with the theme of “Leading Safety with Sustainability at the Core”, the “World’s Most Efficient Electric Vehicle” – Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX debuted in India for the first time.
Driven by the philosophy of zero impact on the planet and highly responsible use of green energy, Mercedes-Benz has developed the Vision EQXX, widely regarded as the most advanced and efficient car in the world. Mercedes-Benz says the research prototype is capable of more than 1,000 kilometers of real-world electric driving on a single charge, and clearly shows the path the company is trying to take towards full electrification by 2030.
It is part of a broader technology initiative aimed at pushing the boundaries of technical feasibility and accelerating the transfer of innovations to series production. MBRDI engineers based in Bengaluru and Pune contributed significantly to building the prototype, which has been recognized as a new benchmark for electric vehicles.
“The Vision EQXX is a testament to our development approach. It demonstrates our pioneering spirit, technology leadership and expertise in electric mobility and positions Mercedes-Benz as a leading technology brand. I am proud to share with you all Sharing, MBRDI contributed extensively to the development of the concept car,” said Manu Saale, Managing Director and CEO of MBRDI.
Safe Roads was conceptualized in 2015 as a roadshow to educate the public about road safety through physical demonstrations, visual aids and research reports. Launched in 2017, the Safe Roads India Summit takes awareness to the next level, focusing on various aspects of road safety, including ‘Children Safety and Vulnerable Road Users on Indian Roads’ and ‘Autonomous Driving and the Future of Road Safety in India’ “. This year, the theme of the 3rd India Safe Road Summit is “Leading Safety with Sustainability at its Core”.
“We launched ‘Safe Roads’ to raise awareness of the importance of road safety and share best practices with future road users in order to reduce India’s alarmingly high road fatality rates,” Saale said. He also highlighted that road traffic fatalities in India will exceed 155,000 by 2022, requiring stronger and more effective collaborative measures to tackle this major problem.
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Mercedes-Benz said in a statement that it has launched five electrified models since 2019 and “sees further growth in the Japanese electric vehicle market”.
