People who drive conventional vehicles in heavy urban traffic actually perform an extraordinary feat: they continually monitor their surroundings, make decisions in fractions of a second, operate the vehicle, and focus on the route that needs to be taken. Autonomous vehicles need to be able to do the same things. The question is whether the technology will be able to perform as well as — or even better than — humans. Michael Hafner, Head of Automated Driving at Daimler, offers a clear-cut answer: “We are moving toward the objective of automated driving systematically, and also more quickly than many people believe.” The most important thing, however, is to “introduce a safe and reliable system that can be mass-produced. Indeed, safety is the top priority and the common thread for all aspects and development stages as we move toward series production. Whenever there are doubts, our policy is that being thorough is more important than being quick.”

Mercedes-Benz and ESL are renewing their partnership until 31 December 2020. Within the expanded partnership, Mercedes-Benz is the global mobility partner of ESL from now on.

By renewing the partnership, Mercedes-Benz is stepping up its existing commitment to a rapidly growing field. Each year, up to 205 million people follow the sporting competitions on the internet, which the Cologne-based company ESL has been organising for 18 years. The contract signed with Mercedes-Benz in 2017 is now being expanded. The involvement in the ESL One Dota 2 competitions as a premium partner as well as honouring the best player of the tournament with the “Most Valuable Player” award will continue.