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6 Levels in Autonomous Driving
6 Levels in Autonomous Driving

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Self-driving or autonomous cars have been considered as the future of driving for a long time. Fully autonomous vehicles operating in mixed traffic will soon become a reality in the foreseeable future. According to Statista, in 2019, there were approximately 31 million cars with at least some level of automation in operation worldwide. This number is to surpass 54 million by 2024 end, with the market size of autonomous cars exceeding USD 61 bn by 2026.

But what makes a vehicle autonomous? Are all vehicles autonomous to the same degree?

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), a global professional association and standards organization, defines 6 levels of driving automation ranging from 0 (fully manual) to 5 (fully autonomous). These levels have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Autonomous 1

 

Autonomous 2

Source: Synopsys

1. Level 0 – No automation – This level describes the standard car which has no extra technology that will alter the vehicle’s driving behaviour by itself. The driver therefore must drive the vehicle and monitor any possible warnings or safety activities, and thus the driver is responsible for braking, steering, accelerating etc.

2. Level 1 – Driver assistance - Level 1 is the most basic form of automation. The vehicle features a single automated system for driver assistance, such as steering or accelerating (cruise control). Adaptive cruise control, where the vehicle can be kept at a safe distance behind the next car, can be qualified as Level 1 because the human driver monitors the other aspects of driving such as steering and braking. Level 1 autonomy was first seen in the late 1990s with Mercedes-Benz. Majority of new cars sold today come with this level of tech.

3. Level 2 – Partial Automation - Level 2 is when two or more aspects of the driving experience are controlled by technology and is the standard for a lot of high-end vehicles today. Having multiple automated functions allows the car to change lanes, adjust speed and park all by itself. However, the driver must still have their hands on the wheel throughout any of these processes. Here the automation falls short of self-driving because a human sits in the driver’s seat and can take control of the car at any time. Tesla autopilot, Cadillac Super Cruise systems are officially at Level 2 standard.

4. Level 3 – Conditional Automation - At this stage, the technology makes nearly all the decisions on the road. Technologically, this is a big jump from level 2 as the vehicle can effectively detect the environment around them and drive by themselves in certain situations. Level 3 vehicles have “environmental detection” capabilities and can make informed decisions for themselves, such as accelerating past a slow-moving vehicle. However, they still require human override. The driver must remain alert and ready to take control if the system is unable to execute the task and still needs to be present and available so they can override any potential incorrect decisions, although they can have their eyes off the road and their hands off the steering wheel for periods of time. Audi A8L has level 3 automation.

5. Level 4 – High Automation - This level of automation does not require any human interaction in most circumstances. Level 4 vehicles can intervene if things go wrong or there is a system failure. They will be limited to certain areas (geofencing) where speed limits are low and the roads are easy to read. These vehicles lend themselves to ride-sharing taxi services in city areas. There is continuous testing of these cars being done and also the current regulations are restrictive, hence these cars are not being widely used as of now. NAVYA, a French company, is already building and selling Level 4 shuttles and cabs in the U.S. that run fully on electric power and can reach a top speed of 55 mph. Alphabet's Waymo recently unveiled a Level 4 self-driving taxi service in Arizona, where they had been testing driverless cars.

6. Level 5 – Full Automation - This is the category for fully driverless cars. No assistance is needed from humans at all and so there is no need for a steering wheel or pedals. These vehicles, in theory, can perform anything that a standard driver could do. The intelligence and sophistication of the computers running these cars will mean that they will be able to drive anywhere, even locations that don't have carefully mapped out road markings. Fully autonomous cars are undergoing testing in several pockets of the world, but none are yet available to the public.

One must understand that Autonomous Driving is not the same as ADAS which is Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. While both concepts fall under driving automation, they are very different in their capabilities and levels of driver involvement.

ADAS refers to systems which are designed to aid the driver for improved safety, autonomous driving technology aims to replace the driver entirely, offering a future where vehicles can operate safely without human input. Therefore, the levels of automation are available for autonomous driving only.

As technology evolves, future of transportation is evolving into being safer, more efficient, and convenient. The road ahead is exciting and filled with technological advancements and will ultimately reshape the way we experience mobility.

 

Sources

  1. https://www.synopsys.com/blogs/chip-design/autonomous-driving-levels.html
  2. https://www.gogreenleasing.co.uk/blog/the-5-levels-of-vehicle-automation
  3. https://www.faistgroup.com/news/autonomous-vehicles-levels/
  4. https://www.zf.com/mobile/en/technologies/automated_driving/stories/6_levels_of_automated_driving.html
  5. https://performanceautospecialists.com/adas-vs-autonomous-driving-understanding-levels-of-automation/#:~:text=While%20both%20concepts%20fall%20under,control%20and%20lane%20departure%20warnings.

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Vandhna Babu
Principal Analyst - Research

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