Armed with a refreshed heavy-duty truck range, Mercedes-Benz has turned its R&D attentions to the lighter commercial offerings, and is looking to improve in three key areas, according to Volker Mornhinweg, the company’s head of vans.
“Our development guys are focused on three qualities,” he says. “Efficiency – because our vans should go the furthest possible distance on a full tank; quality – the vehicles should be made as durable as possible and ensure maximum uptime; and safety – this is an area where we should be setting the benchmark.”
Looking specifically at the third of this trio, Mercedes has announced it will introduce five new technologies into the van range, beginning with this year’s next-generation Sprinter.
“The Sprinter was the first van to feature ABS, and has had ESP since 2002,” says Mornhinweg. “Our analysis shows that since then, in combination with chassis measures, the number of accidents involving Sprinters has dropped by 64%.”
But Mercedes isn’t stopping there. “We have a vision of accident-free driving, and step by step we are getting closer to making this vision a reality,” confirms Dr Sascha Paasche, head of product engineering, Mercedes-Benz vans. Helping achieve this goal will be five key Assist systems – that improve crosswind, collision prevention, blind spot, lane keeping and high beam safety – to be offered on all models in the future.
The third generation of Mercedes’ ESP for vans will incorporate the first use in the sector of Crosswind Assist. Designed to minimise the impact strong winds can have on a van’s position on the road, it is automatically activated at speeds at, or above, 49.7mph (80km/h). The system is based on sensors that measure the yaw rate and lateral acceleration, thereby determining crosswind forces. Identifying the specific wheels affected, the automated unit applies the brakes to the relevant wheels, causing the vehicle to steer and correct itself, therefore avoiding drifting onto the wrong side of the road or across lanes. Mercedes says that the aim is for vehicles to veer no further than 50cm sideways in strong gusts. Vehicle speed, cargo load and location in the van, and driver steering inputs are all taken into consideration when calculating the level of intervention.
Conscious of the danger of rear-end collisions caused by vehicles travelling too close to each other, Mercedes has conducted analysis that has concluded that the adoption of a radar-based system could prevent “a significant proportion of rear-end collisions, or at least substantially reduce the severity of the accidents”. As a result, Collision Prevention Assist makes its debut in the van sector, having only been previously seen on passenger cars. Mercedes stresses that while this system won’t prevent all minor low-speed accidents in cities, it will be of most benefit in reducing the number of severe impacts from behind. Sensors on the van’s bumper continuously measure the distance to any vehicle travelling ahead, as well as the relative speeds of each vehicle. When a possible impact is predicted, a message is sent from these sensors, and an audible warning sound – the noise intensifying if the distance is further reduced – intimates a very high risk of impact.
Short of making the wing mirrors of its vans any larger, the adoption of Blind Spot Assist technology was viewed by Mercedes as the best way to help improve a driver’s awareness of other road users, and the dangers that they present. At speeds above 18.6mph (30km/h) short-range sensors located at the side of the vehicle can detect a car or motorcycle that is in the driver’s blind spot, and a red warning light appears in the wing mirror on the relevant side, alerting the driver to the danger. Should they try and change lane when there is a vehicle in the way, an alarm is sounded as a warning.
Mercedes argues that unintended lane departures caused by driver distraction or inattention are more dangerous than sudden lane changes. Its solution is Lane Keeping Assist, a system that comprises a camera filming the lane ahead, and an ECU measuring data. Again, a warning sound occurs if the van is about to leave the lane and the indicators are not employed. The system can identify white and yellow road markings – allowing it to operate on construction sites, for example – and works at speeds above 37.3mph (60km/h). During periods of high winds or when driving down narrow country lanes, there is the option of turning the system off to prevent it from being activated constantly.
Driving at night will be made easier with Highbeam Assist. Described by Mercedes as “optimal illumination of the road”, the system automatically switches high beams on and off depending on whether there is traffic ahead. It is claimed that drivers will have a better view of corners, pedestrians and potential dangers ahead without oncoming drivers being blinded. The system works at 37.3mph (60km/h) or above, and uses a camera mounted to the inside of the windscreen, scanning the road and traffic ahead. It will be offered with halogen, as well as bi-xenon, headlights.
Availability
Mercedes has confirmed Crosswind Assist will debut as a standard feature on the new Sprinter when it is launched in the second half of 2013. It is expected the remaining safety tech will be cost options, but according to a company spokesman, it is far too early to talk about prices of each. Meanwhile, given that from November 2013 Lane Keeping Assist-style systems will be mandatory on all new vehicles launched, that technology could also be fitted as standard on all Sprinters.
