Benzinga | Dec 22, 2021 08:16AM EST

Cerence Reports Mercedex-Benz Selected Co. To Provide Enhanced Capabilities, Including Conversational AI-Powered Electric Vehicle Use Cases Within Its Mercedes-Benz User Experience In The New Mercedes EQS, No Terms Disclosed

Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ:CRNC), AI for a world in motion, today announced that Mercedes-Benz AG has selected Cerence to provide enhanced capabilities, including conversational AI-powered electric vehicle use cases and Cerence Emergency Vehicle Detection (EVD), within its intuitive multimedia system, MBUX -- Mercedes-Benz User Experience -- in the new Mercedes-Benz EQS, the first all-electric luxury sedan from the Mercedes-EQ lineup.

Building on the companies' partnership on the next-gen MBUX introduced last year, MBUX in the Mercedes-Benz EQS features a new set of electric vehicle-related capabilities and use cases powered by Cerence that simplify the EV ownership experience for Mercedes-Benz EQS drivers. With deep integration with the car and its sensors, drivers can simply ask MBUX for important information about battery status and charging time in their natural language, with the ability to sort by parameters based on their personal preferences. Key new questions and commands include:

* Battery status and ability to reach a destination or location (address or point-of-interest or personalized location like "home" or "work"), for example, "Is a roundtrip to work possible with my current battery?"

* Complex, multi-step queries like "How is the traffic to Berlin?" followed by "Does my battery last until there?"

* Find, sort, and filter EV charging locations by key factors like distance, availability, charging speed, and plug type -- for example, "Find me a charging station near my destination that is free."

* Charging time or number of charging stops until a destination or location, for example, "How long do I need to charge to reach my destination?" or "How often do I need to charge to get home?"

* Proactive notification of low battery and ability to extend range by limiting certain features.

In addition, the Mercedes-Benz EQS will be the first car to market with Cerence EVD, which integrates with MBUX to alert drivers of approaching emergency vehicles so they can adapt their driving accordingly. Cerence EVD uses the car's existing microphones to detect varying types and styles of emergency vehicle sirens accurately and reliably. Once a siren is identified, the volume of the radio or other media is lowered, and the driver is notified visually and via audio from MBUX. If a siren is detected during autonomous driving on a highway, the vehicle is steered to the side to make way for the emergency vehicle.

"Intuitive technology and a simple, easy-to-use interface are important elements in the electric vehicle user experience as drivers demand increasingly smart and high-tech capabilities," said Stefan Ortmanns, CEO, Cerence. "We're excited to partner with Mercedes-Benz AG as they bring a new generation of luxury EVs to market with specific capabilities that make the ownership and driving experience safer and more enjoyable than ever."

For more information about the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS, visit https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/vehicles/passenger-cars/eqs/. To learn more about Cerence, visit www.cerence.com, and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.