Mercedes first used turquoise lights to show autonomous mode active. GM will fit the same turquoise signal to the Escalade IQ system suite. China plans to require the lights on Level 2, 3, and 4 vehicles soon. Traffic laws are starting to adapt to a reality where software now shares responsibility for what happens on the road. As autonomous driving technologies continue to proliferate across the automotive industry, it’s becoming increasingly likely that automakers will adopt turquoise-colored lights to indicate when a car’s self-driving systems are engaged. Mercedes-Benz was the first to try the color and has been using it for years now. The German company picked turquoise because it doesn’t clash with brake lights, indicators, traffic signals, or emergency vehicles, and it registers quickly with other road users. Mercedes also cited studies showing turquoise “performed better than other colors in both physiological and psychological factors” for signaling automated driving. Mercedes In the US, Mercedes-Benz began experimenting with turquoise LEDs while testing its Level 3 autonomous systems in California and Nevada a couple of years ago. The ‘eyes-off’ system being developed by GM for the Escalade IQ will also use these colored lights, including on the wing mirrors. Read: Geely Introduces China’s First Purpose-Built Robotaxi However, as Car Magazine reports, it’s in China where the use of turquoise exterior lights on semi-autonomous vehicles has rapidly expanded. The number of cars launched in China with these lights continues to grow, and soon, they will become compulsory. The lights are engaged when a car’s autonomous driving functions are enabled, and then turned off when a driver disengages the system. ‘Look, Mom, A Robocar!’ The use of lights like these will serve an important role in signifying to other road users and police that a car is operating in autonomous mode. While this could encourage motorists to give these vehicles some extra leeway, the flip side is predictable. Some drivers will treat a glowing turquoise car as an easy mark and cut in front of it, knowing the software has to yield. Cadillac According to Leapmotor founder and chief executive Zhu Jiangming, “Thirty per cent of Chinese customers are using ADAS for daily commuting and driving. In the future, I believe that you will see blue lights on with all the cars on the road.” With the lights set to become mandatory in China for vehicles running Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 systems, the rest of the world will almost certainly follow in the coming years. The only open question is when. Photo Brad Anderson/Carscoops
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