Approval in just a few months? Self-driving cars will soon be allowed on our roads
Self-driving cars could be on the road in Switzerland in just a few months. That's according to Astra.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Self-driving cars could be on the road in Switzerland in just a few months. That's what Astra says.
- Drivers would no longer need to have their hands on the wheel.
- However, despite the planned approval of level 3 highway pilots in Switzerland, there are still challenges ahead
The first cars with freeway pilots could be on the road in Switzerland from 2025. As Jürg Röthlisberger, head of the Federal Roads Office (Astra), announced in an interview with the "NZZ" newspaper, vehicles with level 3 driver assistance systems will be approved.
These allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel on highways while the car brakes, accelerates, changes lanes and avoids obstacles on its own. However, the systems are not yet able to drive safely at night or in the rain.
To make this possible, Astra is working on the legal basis. "The Federal Council is expected to adopt the necessary ordinances this year," Astra spokesperson Thomas Rohrbach told the Tagesanzeiger newspaper.
Approval for Switzerland not yet applied for
The introduction of this technology could increase road safety, as the number of fatalities on freeways doubled in the first half of 2024 compared to 2020. Studies show that just ten percent of vehicles equipped with such systems could have a noticeable effect on traffic flow.
However, despite the planned approval of level 3 freeway pilots in Switzerland, there are still challenges ahead. So far, only Mercedes-Benz and BMW offer such systems. Tesla, once a leader in the field of automated driving, does not currently offer Level 3 approval.
Mercedes-Benz received the first global approval for its "Drivepilot" in Germany in 2021, while BMW received approval for its "Personal Pilot 3" in 2023. However, both manufacturers still have to apply for approval for use in Switzerland.
The costs for this technology are high and are limited to luxury models. Freeway pilots are currently only available for top-of-the-range models such as the Mercedes S-Class and the BMW 7 Series, with prices starting at around 120,000 francs. The price for the systems themselves is an additional 5,000 francs. Automated driving therefore remains an exclusive offer for a wealthy clientele for the time being.