What does Level 2 intelligent driving mean?
3 Answers
Level 2 intelligent driving represents semi-autonomous driving, which enables the vehicle to operate multiple functions while requiring the driver to handle the remaining few functions. It primarily includes features such as full-speed adaptive cruise control, automatic parking, active lane keeping, automatic lane changing, and speed limit recognition. Autonomous vehicles are a type of smart car, also referred to as wheeled mobile robots. They mainly rely on an in-vehicle computer system-based intelligent driving system to achieve autonomous driving. These vehicles perceive the road environment through onboard sensing systems, automatically plan driving routes, and control the vehicle to reach predetermined destinations.
Last time I drove my friend's newly purchased Tesla on the highway, he mentioned the car has L2 autonomous driving. It was quite amazing in actual use. The vehicle could automatically maintain distance from the car ahead, accelerating and decelerating without me constantly pressing the accelerator or brake. At the same time, it could recognize lane markings and make minor steering adjustments to keep the car centered in the lane. However, at this level, I still needed to keep my hands on the wheel at all times, ready to take over. The system might fail when encountering sharp curves or heavy rain. I remember once when a stray cat suddenly darted out from the roadside, the car's system didn't react at all, and I had to slam on the brakes myself. Basically, L2 is just an advanced driving assistant—it can reduce fatigue but can't truly let you be hands-off.
As a long-distance road trip enthusiast, L2 intelligent driving is my highway magic weapon. It combines adaptive cruise control with lane centering functions - once you set the speed and following distance, you don't need to frequently press the accelerator. The system scans lane markings through the windshield camera and detects preceding vehicles using millimeter-wave radar, automatically adjusting steering angle and speed. However, note it only performs stably on highways and expressways - it completely fails on narrow urban village roads or unmarked sections. Manufacturers call this semi-autonomous driving, but personally I think it's more like an intelligent following function.
