What are the next steps to reaching Level 4 autonomy? With several Level 3 autonomous vehicles on the road in recent years, Level 4 autonomy must be just around the corner. And, while it is a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if,’ there is still much work to be done as the industry, legislators, and consumers prepare for what Level 4 truly entails.
The timeline of autonomous vehicles is a special report. Whereas Level 3 cars can drive with conditional automation (for example, the vehicle can perform most driving tasks, but the driver retains full responsibility and human override is still required), Level 4 ‘high automotive automation’ takes things a step further and requires very little human interaction—stirring as much caution as excitement for the future of mobility. There is a great deal.
The path of technology
As OEMs work on both Level 3 and Level 4 autonomy, the industry has reached a tipping point in the development of autonomous vehicles. When it comes to Level 3 vehicles, it can be difficult to tell when the human must act as a driver or a passenger, but when it comes to Level 4, the lines become clearer. In certain circumstances, these vehicles will not require any human interaction to complete a journey—within certain safety parameters such as weather and route.
Level 3 autonomy is already here, it’s possible, and it’s proven—still there’s work to be done before we can move on to Level 4, and it’s not just about technology. With increased autonomy comes increased demands for safety, legislation, and new geofencing infrastructure.
Safety always the top priority
Although Level 4 autonomy promises a reduction in incidents and collisions caused by ‘human error,’ building consumer trust in automated vehicles’ ability to ‘drive safely’ will take time. And we would be wise to consider the amount of investment required to demonstrate the safety of autonomy. Long after the technology has been proven and made available to the market, there is a good chance that the industry will see increased investment in safety campaigns. This could lead to more collaboration because OEMs will have a valuable opportunity to pool data, thereby creating a repository from which the industry can learn and deliver continuous improvement benefits to all.
Then there’s the added complexity of cyber security, as well as the possibility of attacks jeopardizing the safety of automated vehicles. Because connectivity and information sharing are essential to autonomous driving, automated vehicles are likely to become the target of attacks as they become more common on the roads. The Automotive Cyber Regulations UNECE WP.29 / ISO/SAE 21434 were adopted by the EU earlier this year and are now mandatory for all vehicles to protect drivers and vehicles from cyber security threats, but their implementation is complex, and the industry has much work to do to apply their standards to Level 4 autonomous vehicles. Legislators and OEMs must collaborate to keep safety at the forefront of everything that happens in this space, with regulations driving standards and improvements in standards leading to new ways to legislate and protect passengers and the public.
Build it and they will come
The third issue to address is infrastructure. The technology required to upgrade a country’s road network to support Level 4 autonomy is still being developed. We can expect significant investment from both industry and governments, as well as the development of new standards, approaches, and legislation to meet the varying needs of different countries.
Not only will autonomy necessitate a rethinking of transportation planning in both urban and rural areas, but it will also necessitate rigorous testing of autonomy in the cloud, shifting network requirements, and the entry of new security providers.
Sustaining sustainability
The twin priorities of modern mobility are unquestionably autonomy and Net Zero. And autonomy must be handled carefully to ensure that it accelerates rather than slows the journey to Net Zero.
Autonomy is likely to reduce congestion and erratic or inefficient driving styles, resulting in lower energy consumption. However, it’s also speculated that it could lead to an increase in the overall number of miles travelled, due to new classes of drivers on the road and people moving further away from places of work when they don’t have to ‘do the driving’.
To mitigate, ride-sharing or car-sharing is seen as part of the new mobility economy and something that OEMs will need to consider when developing models and infrastructure that supports and enables people to get around in completely new ways.
We will achieve autonomy at Level 4. However, many stars must align for autonomy to realize its full potential, from solving safety puzzles with advanced technology to investing in geofencing infrastructure, all while balancing legislators’ demands and contributing to the Net Zero push. It will be a difficult path, but it will lead to exciting innovations and a new world of clean, safe mobility.
