# Mercedes Launch Control Uses Green Lights

> Mercedes-Benz patent describes automatic launch control that reacts to green traffic lights.
- Title: Mercedes Launch Control Uses Green Lights · The Drive
- Summary: Mercedes-Benz patent describes automatic launch control that reacts to green traffic lights.
- Keywords: mercedes-benz, launch control, traffic light detection, 70 mph, automatic acceleration, race start technology, The Drive
- Source: The Drive — https://thedrive.com/news/mercedes-designed-an-automatic-launch-control-system-that-reacts-to-green-lights
- Author: Byron Hurd
- Published: 2026-11-11T18:28:03+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mercedes-benz, launch control, traffic light detection, 70 mph, automatic acceleration, race start technology, cars, technology
## Mercedes-Benz patent
Mercedes-Benz developed an automatic launch control system that reacts to green traffic lights.

> Up to now, race start technology supporting a human driver has relied on a reaction time of the driver, which may limit the performance of the technology
## System works with traffic lights
The system uses camera data to detect traffic light changes from red to green for smooth acceleration.

> Autonomous motor vehicles may apply machine learning models in order to detect when to begin to accelerate from a stationary state to, for example, a cruising speed of 40 mph
## Target speed 70 mph
The system accelerates to 70 mph before tapering off, 10 mph faster than industry standard.

> The vehicles may analyze data from a camera observing a traffic light changing from red to green
## Key takeaway

Mercedes-Benz developed a launch control system using traffic light detection to accelerate smoothly to 70 mph.