The Five levels of Automation in Cars
(After the blog, there is
a link of McKinsey and Company research page with some intel and graphs, in
case if you need to take a deep dive in. Enjoy the blog!!)
According to the
researchers like McKinsey and Company or IDtechEx, 45% of global new-car sales
could be at level-3 or above in connectivity by 2030. Before reaching the
autonomous of level-5, it has to go through certain levels or stages of
automation.
Let us first explore the
different levels of automation in vehicles.
0-level(No automation)
This level is called no
automation. This level of automation has completely gone in this age of
technology.
1-level(Driver
Assistance)
This is the lowest level
of automation. In these vehicles can perform only one automation tasks at a
time. These cars mostly feature autonomous safety-assistance such as steering
or acceleration control which is also called cruise control. Cruise control,
where the vehicle drives at a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Here,
the driver still needs to pay attention, similar to 0-level, and has to be
ready to take control. Once this was perceived to be an optional offering but
nowadays it has become necessity.
2-level(Partial
Assistance)
This level is in the category of the previous levels of automation, i.e., level-1 and level-0. Here, this level can perform two tasks simultaneously. These vehicles can steer and accelerate or decelerate at the same time. This kind of control is also called adaptive cruise control. A good example for this level is Tesla’s Autopilot, where the driver needs to put his hands on the steering wheel because then he can take immediate control if something goes wrong and the cars does the rest. It is used most when driving on highways.
3-level(Conditional
Automation)
Now, from this level we have entered the territory of automated driving systems. This level is more advance than the previous levels. In this, vehicles have an “environmental detection” capability and can make informed decisions for themselves, such as accelerating past a slow-moving vehicle. This means that the vehicle can only be self-driving mode in certain conditions only. But they still require human override. The driver must remain alert and ready to take control if the vehicle is unable to execute the tasks. Taking an example of Audi A8 flagship sedan was the world’s first production level-3 vehicle. It features Traffic Jam pilot, which combines a lidar scanner with advanced sensor fusion and processing power. This car was not given permission to ride because of the car didn’t match the USA regulations in 2019. Given image will clear your mind regarding this car.
4-level(High Driving
Automation)
The vehicles of this
level have full automation driving technology functionality in most of the
conditions. The key difference between level-3 and level-4automation is that
level-4 vehicles can sense if things go wrong or there is a system failure.
However, in certain circumstances human override is required, such as driving
on back road or if there is poor visibility.
Level-4 vehicles can
operate in self-driving mode. But until the legislation and infrastructure
evolves, they can only do so within limited area. This is known as geofencing.
As such, most level-4 vehicles in existence are geared toward ridesharing. For
example:-
· Alphabet’s
Waymo recently unveiled a level-4 self-driving taxi service in Arizona.
· Volvo
and Uber are in partnership to develop level-4 electric vehicles that will
serve the robo-taxi market.
· Canadian
automotive supplier Magna has developed technology (MAX4) to enable
capabilities in both urban and highway environments.
5-level(Full Driving
Automation)
This level is the
ultimate level of automation. This level has full automation technology and
required no involvement of humans. In comparison to the level-4 cars, these
cars have much more advanced environmental detection systems with ability to
operate under all conditions. Since the function of the driver is completely
eliminated, the vehicle does not have traditional parts such as a steering
wheel, brake and acceleration pedals or gear shift that cater to human
operation.
Can you imagine never to
drive again to reach your destination?
It is a non-existent but
there are several automakers racing to the level-5 finish line.
Conclusion:
Currently, the highest
level of automation we have available is level-3 vehicle. Level-2 is the sweet
spot in the market for any Automakers. It will take USA till 2030 to bring
automated cars.
It is hard to bring this
in India because India has not yet achieved the electric car mark. So, it has a
long way to enter in this kind of automation in India, in comparison to other
countries like USA, Europe, Canada etc.
McKinsey and Company
stats link:-
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