Mercedes-Benz gains approval in two US states to use turquoise lights to signify self-driving system is active
Mercedes-Benz has announced it is the world’s first automaker to receive approval from United States authorities to use special exterior marker lights to signify when a car is driving autonomously. The German carmaker says the automated driving marker lights will initially be integrated into test vehicles in California equipped with Drive Pilot.
Two years ago, Drive Pilot, which is the world’s first SAE Level 3 system for conditionally automated driving with internationally valid type approval, received certification for use in Germany. This year, the system was certified for us in Nevada and California – each state in the US requires separate certification. Drive Pilot is already available for orders since 2022 in Germany, while in the US, the first production vehicles recently made their debut on the freeways of California and Nevada.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the inclusion of marker lights will substantially enhance public acceptance of automated driving and contribute to road safety. The company said it went with turquoise-coloured marker lights due to the hue’s visibility and differentiation from existing vehicle lighting and traffic signals.
“In addition, according to the findings of numerous test studies, turquoise is the optimal colour for automated driving. Both physiological and psychological factors attest to higher values in turquoise in almost all areas than was the case with other colours,” the carmaker said in its release.
Test vehicles in California, where the company’s exemption permit is valid for two years, will have turquoise-coloured marker lights integrated into the front headlamps and rear taillights as well as the two side mirrors. Meanwhile, the Nevada permit applies to Mercedes-Benz model year 2026 production vehicles and will remain valid until a statutory modification is achieved with the state legislature. Drive Pilot will be available with the 2024 model year EQS and S-Class vehicles in California and Nevada from early next year.
Moving forward, Mercedes-Benz says it is committed to standardising the colour turquoise as a means to visualize the automated driving state. It adds that there is currently no general framework for using turquoise lights in production vehicles in the US, China or the UN-ECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe).
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