Mercedes-Benz has received approval to introduce turquoise-colored Automated Driving Marker Lights. This addition, approved by California and Nevada, aims to alert other drivers when a Mercedes car has the ‘Drive Pilot‘ self-driving mode engaged.
The turquoise lights have been added to the front and rear of the vehicle around the taillights and headlights, and are intended to serve as a clear indication that Mercedes-Benz’s “conditionally automated driving” feature, Drive Pilot, is engaged. According to the German automaker, the lights serve two benefits.
The first is to alert other drivers that the vehicle is being driven autonomously, and the second is to allow police to identify when the system is active to prevent misunderstandings about the driver’s engagement with the road.
In California, the lights are allowed on testing vehicles equipped with Drive Pilot, while in Nevada, they will be included on 2026 EQS and S-Class production vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz hopes this step towards standardizing turquoise lights could potentially become an industry norm.
Drive Pilot is powered by LiDAR, cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and a digital HD map, but can only self-drive under very specific conditions. One of those is that it will only work on freeways in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Its limited availability is also due to state regulations, which is why it will initially launch in California and Nevada.
