Would you want a self-driving Ferrari? We wouldn’t. No matter how developed the technology is for autonomous driving, we would never want it in a supercar or hypercar. It can remain in Teslas but a self-driving Ferrari is just utter rubbish.
Ferrari has a long history of producing supercars that people desire to drive, making it the most well-known supercar company in the world. According to The Drive, Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari, was forthright about the automaker’s position on autonomous vehicles (AVs).
The development of self-driving cars has been one of the most significant technological advancements in recent years. However, as with any new technology, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. One such challenge is road rage, which can pose a threat to both human drivers and autonomous vehicles.
With autonomous vehicles coming in future, the interaction between a vehicle and other road-users, especially pedestrians, will change. Without a human making decisions and a computer taking action, there will be a need to ‘communicate’ intentions in different ways. This is one of the many areas which researchers are looking into with autonomous vehicle development.
Skoda, the Czech carmaker, is developing unique technology which displays to pedestrians – via the car’s grille – when it’s safe to cross the road, as part of a wider trial scheme looking to make roads safer for children, senior citizens and people with disabilities. While this concept is being explored at this time for use in vehicles controlled by human drivers, it could lay the groundwork for autonomous vehicles of the future.
For most people, ‘5G’ – the fifth generation of cellular connectivity technology since 1979 – is associated with telecommunications. Since the deployment of 5G networks in South Korea in April 2019, the technology has been adopted in many countries. Malaysia launched the network at the end of 2021 and by December 2022, 50% coverage of populated areas nationwide was achieved, according to Digital Nasional Bhd.
While 5G may seem to be mainly applicable to mobilephones and internet connectivity, it actually has a far wider scope of application which includes the auto industry. While cars already have connectivity to the internet (and therefore the World Wide Web) and can receive software updates ‘over the air’ (OTA), the much faster speed of 5G transmissions will expand the capabilities of cars in not just driving but also safety.
In the future (probably quite distant), people will travel in vehicles which can operate completely without human control or management. This will be when Level 5 autonomy is possible, at which time the question will be whether we can regard the vehicle as the ‘car’ we drive today.
At Chantilly Arts & Elegance event being held in France this weekend, the Volkswagen Group will present an innovative design study that will show what a Level 5 autonomous vehicle might be like, with a realistic outlook for the mobility of the coming decade.
For obtaining customer response The prototype, known as the GEN.TRAVEL, is an Innovation Experience Vehicle (IEV) to test the concept and new functionalities for customer response. Based on the study results, individual features may later be transferred to production vehicles.
There are 6 levels (include level 0) of autonomous driving technology established by the US Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and currently, many vehicles are able to offer up to Level 2 but the driver must still give attention. Beyond Level 2, the requirement for the driver to be ready to take over control when necessary becomes less. By level 5, the vehicle can operate entirely on its own and the driver can even read a book or watch TV while moving.
For the higher levels to be introduced requires that other elements of the environment around the vehicle must also be ready. For instance, signage must be clear so that the cameras can capture important information and road markings must also be well defined for the vehicle to travel in a precise position.
For this reason, even though there are some vehicles already able to operate at level 4 where driver control is not needed, they can only do so within a limited area of a city or highway. As such, they are currently being used for vehicle-sharing purposes where the public can use them as autonomous transport around the city.
The Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) is one of the companies that has a vehicle ready to operate with level 4 technology and it will be running a pilot service in the Gangnam area of Seoul, South Korea’s capital city. Called the RoboRide car-hailing service, IONIQ 5 battery electric vehicles (BEV) fitted with the necessary equipment will be used. The pilot RoboRide will be the first car-hailing service with autonomous driving vehicles to operate in Gangnam, one of the most congested areas in metropolitan Seoul.
For the pilot service, the Group has obtained a temporary autonomous driving operation permit from the authorities. It will collaborate with Jin Mobility, a Korean startup operating the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered car-hailing mobility platform ‘i.M.’. Jin Mobility will be in charge of operating the two IONIQ 5 RoboRide units on its i.M application.
HMG also plans to expand the pilot service, while further developing autonomous driving technology with consideration for various conditions, such as driving stability.
“At Hyundai Motor Group, we are developing level 4 autonomous driving technology based on the internally developed Advanced Driving Support System, whose functionally and safety are verified through mass production and successful commercial launch,” said Woongjun Jang, Senior Vice-President and Head of the Autonomous Driving Centre of HMG. “We expect this RoboRide pilot service will be an important inflection point that will enable us to internalize autonomous driving technology.”
Through this pilot PROGRAM, HMG expects to collect valuable autonomous driving data and plans to further develop the level 4 autonomous driving technology to navigate safely and flexibly in complicated urban environments. To prepare for such a complicated driving environment, HMG has also worked with Seoul Metropolitan Government to establish a system that can connect traffic signals with autonomous vehicles.
In addition, an in-house developed remote vehicle assist system will be provided to ensure safety. The system monitors autonomous driving status, vehicle and route, and supports the trip with remote assist functions, such as changing the lane under circumstances where autonomous driving is not feasible. Based on the level 4 autonomous driving technology, a RoboRide vehicle will perceive, make decisions, and control its own driving status, while its safety driver will only intervene under limited conditions.
The RoboRide pilot service will operate from 10 am to 4 pm, Mondays to Fridays, to minimize any possible inconveniences on the road. Up to 3 passengers can be on a ride, and there will be a ‘safety driver’ present in the vehicle as well to respond to any emergencies.
Besides RoboRide, the company has also been conducting a test operation of its RoboShuttle service since August last year. The demand-responsive, high-occupancy vehicle service, powered by autonomous driving and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, operates along a 6.1-km route in Korea’s Sejong Smart City.
RoboShuttle service which has been operating since August 2021.
The pilot operation is conducted using a H350 van equipped with autonomous driving technology. This technology has a range of Level 4-comparable core technologies and is developed in-house by the Autonomous Driving Centre. Based on its self-driving capabilities, the vehicle is designed to perceive its surroundings, make decisions, and control itself while driving on the road, requiring minimal intervention from a safety driver.
Autonomous cars – vehicles which can operate on their own without a driver in control – are now already available, with Tesla’s cars best known for such an advanced feature (which costs an extra US$10,000) at this time. Other carmakers are also offering limited levels of autonomous motoring in their newer models as well, but use of such a feature requires approval by each country’s authorities. Malaysia, as with many countries, does not yet allow autonomous cars, as highlighted in a recent case where a Singapore-registered car was shown to be travelling on a Malaysian highway without the driver in control.
Even in countries where autonomous vehicles can operate, there are only certain sections of highways that their autonomous operation can be activated. This is because the road infrastructure has to be properly designed with standardized signage and clear road markings. The cameras on autonomous vehicles are the ‘eyes’ of the computer which assesses the surroundings and makes decision based on what it ‘sees’.
The systems in autonomous vehicles have to be able to recognise signs and road markings for the vehicle to proceed safely and not hit other objects. They also need to be able to recognise traffic lights so that the vehicle will be brought to a stop if the light is red.
Who is responsible for accidents?
The other more important issue is legal provisions since the vehicle is not under the control of the driver. If there is an accident when under autonomous operation, can the driver be held liable? Or should the manufacturer be responsible for damages? Different countries are examining this legal responsibility and in Britain, the legal changes necessary have been put forward which will allow the use of autonomous vehicles and how legal issues will be dealt with.
The new law considers the person in the driver’s seat as a ‘user-in-charge’ and will not be prosecuted for offences such as exceeding speed limits or not stopping at red lights if the vehicle is operating autonomously. However, the user-in-charge still has certain responsibilities such as ensuring that everyone has their seatbelts on and that the vehicle is not overloaded. Being drunk while using an autonomous vehicle will still be an offence.
The driver will be the ‘user-in-charge’ when the vehicle is operating autonomously, but will not be considered liable if there is an accident. This responsibility will be the manufacturer’s and/or software developer for the autonomous system, and insurance companies will pay compensation accordingly.
Responsibility for an accident will be directed to the Authorized Self-Driving Entity (ASDE), an entity that applied for authorization of the automated vehicle. This can be the manufacturer of the vehicle or the software developer of the automated driving systems (or both parties).
There already exists in British law an Act which makes reference to automated vehicles. Introduced in 2018 as the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act, it states that victims who suffer injury or damage from a vehicle operating independently will not need be charged and the insurance company will pay compensation as specified.
Can watch TV, cannot use mobilephone
The new law allowing the full benefits of autonomous vehicles to be used are expected to be introduced in the middle of 2022. Apart from the convenience of travelling long distances without actually driving the car, motorists can look forward to being able to watch movies or other broadcasts on their journey. Or they could read a book or have a meal without having to also pay attention to the road ahead (although it would still be a good idea to do so).
Strangely though, use of a mobilephone is still considered illegal. The thinking behind this is that the display on an infotainment screen can be interrupted to display a warning message in an emergency when the driver may have to take over control of the car. A mobilephone would not have such a capability since it is an entirely independent device.
The new law in Britain would allow the driver to watch TV or read a book (or even eat) but using a mobilephone (below) would still be an offence.
Self-driving and ADAS
The new rules are a first step in allowing use of autonomous vehicles on British roads and they also clarify the difference between cars that are ‘self-driving’ and those with advanced driver assistance features (ADAS). The latter can already be found in many cars today, common ones being automatic emergency braking, cruise control and lane-keeping. ADAS, also referred to as Level 2 autonomy, helps drivers avoid accidents or minimize their effects but the driver must have control as well.
Autonomous vehicles have many sensors – cameras and radar – around the car to constantly scan the surroundings so that the car will avoid them.What the computer ‘sees’ from images captured by cameras (pictured below) on the car.
As with most other countries, an autonomous vehicle would have to be homologated by the authorities before it can be used on public roads. No doubt new testing will be formulated to assess autonomous systems, just as the authorities have had to regularly update their testing as technologies have advanced.
Laws have to be periodically updated to take into account new technologies and Britain is doing so not just to keep pace with the changes but also see it as beneficial to the country’s economy. With clear laws that permit usage of autonomous vehicles, there can be more activity in R&D to develop the technology and related products. By 2035, around 38,000 new, high-skilled jobs could be created within the industry that would be worth £41.7 billion.
Some concept cars already suggest that, in future, autonomous vehicles will allow the driver to be completely uninvolved in operating the vehicle. But will it then be driving?
Alan Mulally created ‘One Ford’ during his 8-year term as President & CEO of Ford Motor Company, a strategy that reorganised the company and drove it to profitable growth. Jim Farley, who sits in Mulally’s office today, has his own plan which is called ‘Ford Next’, also a transformative move to restructure the company and leverage on all its experience and resources to be a strong competitor in the new industry environment.
Last month, as part of Ford Next, he announced that Ford would create separate business units for products with combustion engines and products with electric powertrains. The former would be known as Ford Blue and the latter called Ford Model e. The two would be distinct but strategically interdependent businesses. Driving this move is recognition that different approaches, talents and, ultimately, organizations are required to develop different types of vehicles.
A third new development was recently announced to cover autonomous vehicles and new technologies. While the focus is on electrification, autonomous vehicles are nevertheless on the horizon and preparing for them is important. Farley knows that a giant like Ford cannot compete with start-ups that are lean and already focussed on new technologies. So he wants to establish units that can be more agile and responsive and the already existing Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC (established in 2018) will now become part of Ford Next.
Farley believes in having the right people (and type of people) for the job and legacy approaches won’t work today. The engineers who have, for decades, worked on combustion engines may not be right for electric powertrains so having new units allows them to develop their own workforce of the right sort of people. In this way, development work is expected to be faster and ‘traditional’ methods won’t automatically be used.
There will still be cars like this from Ford with internal combustion engines.
Unlike Jim Hackett, his predecessor who came from an office furniture company, and unlike Mulally who was an aircraft engineer at Boeing, Farley is a car-guy and has had a log association with Ford (though he started in the auto industry with Toyota). So while the future is electric, he has promised that it’s not over for combustion engine vehicles from Ford anytime soon – and with reduced cost and complexity.
Nevertheless, the focus and investments will be on electric vehicles, both passenger and commercial. In Europe, for example, Ford will have a range of 9 electric models by 2024, with a target of selling more than 600,000 EVs in the region by 2026. This will contribute to the global goal of 2 million+ annual production of EVs by 2026.
By 2024, Ford will have a wider range of electric passenger vehicles as well as commercial vehicles (below).,
Like other major carmakers, Ford is also taking steps to ensure supplies of batteries – a crucial item in every EV. It will collaborate with other parties to create one of Europe’s largest commercial vehicle battery production sites in Turkey.
“This is why we have created Ford Model e – allowing us to move at the speed of a start-up to build electric vehicles that delight and offer connected services unique to Ford and that are built with Ford-grade engineering and safety,” said Farley.
Another new unit in Ford Next is Ford Pro which is aimed at commercial customers. In a market crowded with fragmented and consumer-grade products, customers are demanding complete solutions designed to meet the needs of commercial fleet operations. This is where Ford Pro comes in: its role is to help customers who want to transition into electrified vehicles by providing a one-stop shop for fleet operations and investing in key areas of the business. Ford Pro will offer a wide range of charging hardware – from home chargers to large-scale depot charging systems – all backed with integrated installation, software, service and financing.
Knowing that the transition to EVs will not be immediate, Ford Pro makes it easier to manage by providing a single solution for both combustion engine and EV fleet management. According to Ford, commercial customers turnover between 10 -15% of their fleet each year so many will manage a mixed fleet of vehicles for a long time. Ford Pro can therefore help as its customers phase out combustion vehicles and progressively replace them with EVs, supporting with the necessary hardware and services.
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Cruise, a company specialising in autonomous vehicle technology, and General Motors have entered a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles. The companies will bring together their software and hardware engineering skills, cloud computing capabilities, manufacturing know-how and partner ecosystem to transform transportation to create a safer, cleaner and more accessible world for everyone.
To unlock the potential of cloud computing for self-driving vehicles, Cruise will leverage Azure, Microsoft’s cloud and edge computing platform, to commercialize its unique autonomous vehicle solutions at scale. Microsoft, as Cruise’s preferred cloud provider, will also tap into Cruise’s deep industry expertise to enhance its customer-driven product innovation and serve transportation companies across the globe through continued investment in Azure.
Cruise test vehicles are adapted from the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Accelerating digitization initiatives
In addition, GM will work with Microsoft as its preferred public cloud provider to accelerate its digitization initiatives, including collaboration, storage, artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities. GM will explore opportunities with Microsoft to streamline operations across digital supply chains, foster productivity and bring new mobility services to customers faster.
Cruise will also send its self-driving vehicles to Japan and start development for testing this year as part of Honda’s new mobility business. This is a collaborative venture with Cruise and GM on self-driving vehicles for its autonomous vehicle mobility service (MaaS) business in Japan,
Cruise Origin
Autonomous vehicle mobility service
In due course, Honda aims to launch its MaaS business using the Cruise Origin, a vehicle the three companies are jointly developing exclusively for autonomous vehicle mobility service businesses. Honda Mobility Solutions Co., Ltd., will be the operator of the business in Japan.
“This collaboration with Cruise will enable the creation of new value for mobility and people’s daily lives, which we strive for under Honda’s 2030 Vision of serving people worldwide with the joy of expanding their life’s potential. Through active collaboration with partners who share the same interests and aspirations, Honda will continue to accelerate the realization of our autonomous vehicle MaaS business in Japan,” said Takahiro Hachigo, President & Representative Director of Honda Motor.
“Cruise’s mission to provide safer, cleaner and more accessible transportation is not limited to the USA. These are major changes that are needed almost everywhere in the world, and this is a small, but symbolic step with Honda on our global journey,” added Dan Ammann, CEO of Cruise.
Cruise was established in 2013 and has fully integrated manufacturing resources at scale, building all-electric, zero-emission, self-driving vehicles, especially for dense urban settings.
Imagine a place that is something like SimCity, the urban development simulation game, where you can control what happens on the streets. You manage how many cars move along the roads and how fast they go. You allow a certain number of cyclists on a roundabout – and allow some to ignore basic rules of the road. You can even change the weather conditions, with sunny skies one moment and suddenly there’s a heavy downpour.
Such ‘power’ is usually only available in computer simulations and doesn’t exist in real life. However, if you drive out to the middle of Merced County in the American state of California, you’ll find it at Castle, a former air force base used by the Waymo development team to help build ‘The World’s Most Experienced Driver’.
Covering over 450,000 square metres, Castle is a state-of-the-art, closed-course testing facility which has been specially designed and redesigned over the years for the unique testing needs of Waymo, the company handling Google’s autonomous car project and developing the required technologies.
Preparing the Waymo Driver
Waymo’s unique testing needs to prepare the Waymo Driver to handle challenges on the road, evaluate new software before it’s released to the self-driving fleet, and validate system performance in all kinds of conditions. The closed-course testing at Castle has always been a critical component of the development process, unlocking some key technology advancements.
Following some months of lockdown restricted movements due to the pandemic, Waymo’s test vehicles are back on the road and the Waymo Driver’s deployment can proceed with the entire development cycle. This involves gathering real-world data and analyzing it and rigorously testing updates made to the system.
The ‘one in a million’
The testing site on the former base is set up like an adaptable city, including everything from wide avenues and suburban driveways to a railroad crossing and roundabouts. It’s meant to be like the real world and complex and rare scenarios are staged in a safe, controlled environment.
These scenarios can be a person walking across the street without considering oncoming traffic, or garbage falling out of the truck ahead. Over the years, the Waymo team has built up a library of over 40,000 structured testing scenarios — and that does not include all the variations with each situation. Some of the scenarios include are situations never seen on public roads but could happen one day, perhaps once every hundreds of millions of kilometres.
Additionally, there are relatively mundane tests that can also be quite challenging for self-driving vehicles and humans alike. For example, driving behind a large garbage truck on a narrow street — one that keeps stopping to load garbage and sometimes the bins are left on the road – may create a lot of complexity on the road and an autonomous vehicle must know what to do.
One source of scenarios is documented traffic accidents and these situations are recreated. By exposing the Waymo Driver to a wide variety of scenarios and teaching self-driving technology fundamental skills rather than only to handle individual situations, the vehicles can become more equipped to handle any situation they encounter on the road.
Structured testing and simulation
When a scenario is developed to test new software, structured testing, simulation, and public road operations can be used separately or together. For example, after executing a test on the closed track, the researchers create and run hundreds of variations of that scenario in simulation. But as much as simulation can help scale the value of structured testing, structured testing complements simulation.
Waymo’s fifth-generation hardware suite
Over the past decade, Waymo has changed the number of vehicle platforms and sensor suites tested and operated on 5 times — from Lexus 450 SUVs to a custom-built Firefly; from Chrysler Pacifica minivans to 18-wheeler trucks. Today, it uses the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE. Like the platforms that came earlier, today’s custom-built 5th generation sensor suite has been rigorously tested at Castle to help ensure its safety and readiness for public roads.
