The Teammate system, which is available on the 2022 Lexus LS 500h, is a Level 2 autonomous system. Although the Lexus LS shouldn’t be considered a truly self-driving car, it does have driving assistance systems that can take control of acceleration, braking, and steering.

While research teams have dreamt of self-driving cars for decades, prototype testing has been gaining momentum since the 2010s. At this rate, we might use truly self-driving cars in our lifetime.

While advanced-tech companies like

Tesla

and Waymo are leading the pack in the race for the world’s first autonomous vehicle, other car manufacturers aren’t too far behind. Driver-assistance technology is becoming more and more common and includes systems for lane centering, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and more.

For details on Lexus’s driver-assistance system that allows for hands-free driving under certain conditions, turn to

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Does Lexus have a self-driving car?

The Lexus LS 500h isn’t a fully autonomous vehicle, but it’s pretty darn close. Lexus’s parent company, Toyota,

announced

the launch of its

advanced-driver assistance system (ADAS)

, Teammate, for the Lexus LS 500h in 2021.

Teammate is a Level 2 autonomous system with a focus on safety. It doesn’t drive the car by itself but instead employs features like Advanced Drive and Advanced Park to work with the driver for improved performance.

Hands-off, hands-on with guidance, and traditional hands-on modes give drivers the freedom to choose what they’re comfortable with—but even if you pick hands-off mode, you won’t be able to let go of the wheel permanently.

The Teammate system is optional in the U.S. on the 2022 Lexus LS 500h. Here’s what it can do:

Automatically steer, accelerate, and brake in highway conditions

Maintain a safe distance from other vehicles, change lanes, and overtake cars

Use the navigation system to determine driving decisions six miles ahead of time

Park the vehicle in hands-off mode

Use a heads-up display (HUD) to alert the driver of upcoming road signs and other important information

Detect the driver’s posture and eye position

Guide the car to the shoulder in an emergency

Allow the driver to take control with enough time to adjust to driving situations

According to

Car and Driver

, using Teammate feels “similar to engaging cruise control”—an appropriate description since you can’t fully take your eyes off the road. The difference between Teammate and high-end cruise control, however, is that Teammate reduces the need for constant attention and split-second decisions while safely operating the vehicle.

Oncoming vehicle detection, dynamic radar cruise control, and lane tracing are all already part of Safety System+, the driver-assistance technology suite available on other Lexus models. Teammate takes it one step further by providing all these systems and more while asking less from the driver.

Key Takeaway The 2022 Lexus LS 500h will be equipped with Teammate, a Level 2 autonomous driver-assistance system.

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How do self-driving cars work?

When you think of a self-driving car, you might picture a vehicle that speeds along the freeway by itself, while riders nap or read the newspaper. That’s pretty much the end goal of autonomous vehicle technology, but we’ve still got a long way to go before we get there.

With radars, video cameras, sensors, and more, self-driving cars are equipped with a range of ever-changing tech that can plan driving movements, perform certain driving functions, and assess driving conditions to make decisions based on them. To put it simply, the car uses its various systems to map surroundings and guide driving.

According to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), there are six levels of autonomous vehicles:

Level 0: No automation. The human driver is in complete control at all times.

Level 1: Driver assistance. Driver assistance tech handles a single driving task—like steering, acceleration, or braking—while the human driver controls everything else.

Level 2: Partial automation. Several automated systems function at the same time, but the driver stays fully involved. (Teammate is a Level 2 system.)

Level 3: Conditional automation. The car drives itself under specific conditions, but the driver is ready to take control at any moment.

Level 4: High automation. The car drives itself under certain conditions and does not require a human driver.

Level 5: Full automation. The car drives itself under all conditions and does not require a human driver.

A Level 5 self-driving car still feels a bit closer to science fiction than reality. The tech for that kind of automation is years away. But perhaps more importantly, the

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

warns that fully autonomous vehicles may not prevent crashes in most cases.

MORE:

How self-driving cars will affect car insurance rates

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Lexus models with self-driving technology

While Lexus isn’t at the forefront of self-driving tech, it does offer some type of driver assistance on each of its vehicles. There are four levels of the

Lexus Safety System+

(LSS+), which come standard on all models.

Models with basic LSS+ include:

Pre-collision and pedestrian detection

Lane departure alerts

Automatic high beams

Dynamic radar cruise control

The upgraded LSS+ 2.0 adds lane tracing, which provides steering assistance that ensures drivers remain centered in their lane, and road sign assistance, which uses a built-in camera to present road sign information on a heads-up display (HUD).

LSS+ 2.5 offers all the same technologies as LSS+ 2.0 but takes it a step further with left-turn intersection support. This system alerts the driver to the presence of other vehicles and pedestrians at an intersection. It also improves the dynamic radar cruise control and lane tracing systems.

Finally, LSS+ 3.0 further upgrades driver assistance with right and left turn pedestrian detection and braking, head-on collision detection, and curve speed management. While LSS+ 3.0 doesn’t quite stack up to Teammate, its technology benefits drivers by helping prevent crashes and protect people on the roads.

Here’s a rundown of 2022 Lexus models with driver-assistance tech:

Model	Vehicle type	Standard safety technology	Starting price
UX	SUV	LSS+ 2.0	$34,225
NX	SUV	LSS+ 3.0	$39,025
RX/RXL	SUV	LSS+ 2.0	$46,645
GX	SUV	LSS+	$56,700
LX	SUV	LSS+ 2.5	$88,245
ES	Sedan	LSS+ 2.5	$41,875
IS	Sedan	LSS+ 2.5	$39,850
LS	Sedan	LSS+ 2.5	$77,075
LC	Coupe	LSS+	$94,125
RC	Coupe	LSS+	$43,545
RCF	Coupe	LSS+	$66,945

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