During an event in California, Mercedes Benz detailed the company's plans to develop its own operating system called MB.OS. This system is expected to power its next generation of electric vehicles and will deliver improvements in safety, automated driving, and navigation.
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Mercedes' team member walks in front of the Mercedes logo on the team's headquarters in the paddock ahead of the second practice session at the Nuerburgring circuit in Nuerburg, western Germany, on October 9, 2020, ahead of the German Formula One Eifel Grand Prix.
Mercedes-Benz's MB.OS
A new in-house operating system for Mercedes-Benz is currently in the works to power its upcoming lineup of electric vehicles. Business Wire reported that the automaker will introduce MB.OS with the new Mercedes Modular Architecture platform.
This system is designed to maintain full control over the customer relationship, ensure data privacy, and support the unique integration of all car functions into one system. MB.OS presents several benefits from full access to all vehicle domains, like infotainment, automated driving, body & comfort, and driving & charging.
"Accordingly, we made the decision to be the architects of our own operating system - a unique chip-to-cloud architecture that leverages its full access to our vehicles' hardware- and software components," Chief Executive Officer Ola Källenius stated.
He added that the company is aiming to create an outstanding customer experience, full upgradeability, and constant improvements through in-house expertise and a selection of world-class partners.
Partnerships
Engadget reported that Mercedes is working with several companies to build its new software stack, which includes NVIDIA, Luminar, and Google.
NVIDIA will focus on the company's software, data, and AI expertise. The GPU maker will also incorporate its Orin chipset to power the company's first generation of electric vehicles. This will enhance the benchmark SAE Level 2 and Level 3 automated driving systems.
Luminar will provide the company with its Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology for the vehicles to be equipped with next-generation sensors.
While all of the MMA EVs will ship the hardware needed for Level 2 Automated Driving, both NVIDIA and Luminar are working with Mercedes to offer the Drive Pilot, which is a Level 3 Automated Driving System.
Google will assist to build a branded navigation experience with the existing features from Google Maps. Mercedes aims to bring the "Place Details" data to all of their offerings in order for their users to utilize the latest version of the MBUX infotainment system.
Aside from the mentioned companies, Mercedes is also looking forward to future partnerships with MB.OS, including TikTok, Zoom, and developer Rovio.
Also Read: Mercedes-Benz Plans to Install its EV Fast Chargers in the US - In Partnership with ChargePoint?
MB.OS is expected to arrive later this year in the upcoming Mercedes-Benz 2024 EQS and S-Class models. Drive reported that the software will enable the company to deliver instant updates, where new features will be added to existing cars in a much more convenient way.
"The company is confident that this strategic approach to software and hardware development will be the basis for lifetime revenues as well as additional contributions," Mercedes noted.
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