CR5 Issue 169 June 2019

Driverless Cars Explained
Driverless cars are a hot topic
in the motoring world at the
moment. Everyone’s talking about
them; manufacturers, politicians
and transport chiefs are all
nattering on about the future of
cars without the need for drivers.
But what are they, and what
do they mean for the future of
motoring? We’re going to try and
clear things up.
The Government is predicting
that driverless cars could be in
full use on the UK’s roads by 2021,
following an announcement that
advanced trials of automated
vehicles could move forwards.
Are they safe?
The safety of autonomous vehicles
was questioned recently after
a 49-year-old woman was killed
while crossing the road in front of
a self-driving vehicle in Arizona.
The issue is the co-habitation
of road users and the driverless
vehicles – until people are sure
how to interact with them,
accidents will still happen.
Which manufacturers currently
offer some level of autonomous
assistance?
Quite a few, actually. You’ll
find some partial self-driving
technology in cars from Audi,
BMW, Citroen, DS, Fiat, Ford,
Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Land
Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes,
Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault,
Seat, Skoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Tesla,
Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen
and Volvo – phew! It’s fair to say
that most cars do incorporate
the technology, but it can include
features such as adaptive cruise
control.
Levels of autonomy
You may have heard about people
discussing the various levels of
autonomous assistance, and
they’re categorised from one to
five. Here’s what they mean.
Level 1
Introduced around 1990s/00s
Level one autonomous assistance
is, as expected, the base level. It
means that just one element of
the driving process is taken over
by the car – but the driver is still
very much in charge. This level of
assistance has been around for
some time now, pioneered by early
cruise control systems.
Level 2
Present day
Level 2 autonomy represents
pretty much where we are today.
Computers are now clever enough
to deal with multiple functions,
so the car can take control of
steering, throttle and brake
functions – but it still requires
the driver to show that they’re in
charge of the car by putting a hand
on the steering wheel.
Level 3
Estimated 2020
Level 3 takes things up a notch. It
means that all of the safety-critical
functions can be controlled by the
car, but the driver must still be able
to intervene should they need to
– this isn’t completely ‘hands-off’
technology yet.
Level 4
Mid 2020s
Things are getting serious at
Level 4. This sees cars capable of
being fully autonomous, albeit in
selected areas – most likely innercity
ones.
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Dedicated lane markings and
infrastructure will be required
to ensure that the cars keep on
the straight and narrow, too.
Complex mapping systems will
combine with advanced cameras,
sensors and artificial intelligence
to determine where the car needs
to go. The driver may have to
intervene at certain points, but for
the most part it’ll mean hands-free
driving.
Level 5
Late 2020s/early 2030s
Level 5 will see the vehicles
derestricted – they won’t have
to operate within certain areas
or environments. It’ll simply be
capable of driving anywhere,
without the need for a driver.
There won’t be a need for a
steering wheel or traditional
‘controls’; these vehicles will
be fully capable of operating
themselves.
It’ll free up space inside the cars
and, because of that, they’ll
probably look more like lounges
on wheels. That’s what we predict,
anyway.
Timeline predictions
It’s worth noting that this timeline
is based on predictions by many
different manufacturers. Though
various dates are pitched by
different car makers, most agree
that the bulk of progress will
happen between 2020 and 2030.
It’s a real technology race at
the moment – each company is
charging ahead to develop their
own systems quicker than the
rest. It’s why these dates are
estimations – some may get there
sooner than others.
By James Baggott