The timescales for mass autonomous driving remain unclear. What we know is that this is not an ‘if’ scenario, merely a question of when, and in the meantime the question is one of transitioning from ADAS to fully autonomous vehicles. We’ll be exploring legal issues, questions of liability and responsibility, the benefits to society, and some of the possible shocks that could develop.
We will also explore auto industry updates on how autonomous car systems are coming to fruition, based on test and evaluation programs, reviews of pilot projects, lessons learned and plans for larger-scale deployments.
This stream will also explore how mass autonomous vehicle deployment could spell the end for high-speed rail and we’ll be asking if the investment in expensive long-distance rail projects would be better spent on developing ultra-high-speed highways for urban and inter-urban platooning, and on-demand underground and surface autonomous vehicle networks.
A theme of this session will be why autonomous cars are trains and why trains cannot compete using 200-year-old technology.
Bogdan Bereczki
product safety and integrity
Autonomous Intelligent Driving GmbH
GERMANY
Synopsis: The introduction of automated driving features into European markets requires not only the technical certification (type approval) of these features but also the legitimization of their use on public roads governed by national road traffic laws. Without satisfying the technical conformity of automated driving features, these may not be legally implemented and sold on vehicles; without conformity to and legitimization of their use by traffic laws, the features may not be legally used on public roads by drivers. The presentation gives an insight into the status quo of the technical regulations and traffic laws currently discussed across the European Union and at the United Nations for on-road automation of SAE Level 3 and 4, which still require a driver to resume the driving task at the end of the operational design domain. For automated driving systems of Level 4 and (academically speaking) Level 5 that do not require a conventional driver to resume the driving task, the presentation outlines the complexity in creating national regulatory frameworks. Argumentation will be outlined to explain why regulatory frameworks are expected to emerge nationally rather than based on supranational legislation for these types of 'driverless' systems.
Zeyn Saigol
principal technologist
Connected Places Catapult
UK
Synopsis: Verification and validation of AVs is a significant challenge for both industry and regulators, but scenario-based testing has recently emerged as a key component of the solution. This presentation will outline the UK Department for Transport’s MUSICC project, a major initiative that has created an open, secure repository for regulatory scenarios. MUSICC (multi user scenario catalogue for connected autonomous vehicles) will enable the community to interact with a working system and provide feedback to regulators on how scenario-based testing should fit into a future AV certification framework. The presentation will also cover MUSICC’s scenario representation format (which is built on top of OpenSCENARIO) and scenario management strategy.
Olivier Lenz
programs director
FIA
BELGIUM
Synopsis: We are working on a further pillar to our My Car My Data initiative by releasing a study showing that the current models allowing access to vehicle data will potentially entail huge economic costs for European consumers and aftermarket service providers. We are further working on user acceptance of autonomous driving within the ARCADE, AUTOPILOT and L3Pilot projects. Throughout the spring, we will run user acceptance evaluation in six pilot cities in Europe, and measure people's readiness to adopt connected automated driving technology.
Michael Lipka
senior manager
Huawei Technologies Düsseldorf GmbH
GERMANY
Synopsis: Controlling vehicle autonomy via an onboard computing and sensing environment, particularly in complex traffic situations, is expected to fail in the short term due to the shortcomings of AI and power demand. In turn, automated networking vehicle fleets for shared mobility can go hand in hand with smart city, smart road and smart infrastructure developments starting in geofenced areas. Balanced end-to-end system partitioning, which integrates vehicle, roadside units, edge and cloud, will achieve safe and economic operation of automated vehicles by deterministic methods. In contrast, the full autonomous approach for single vehicles will be challenged by the huge demand for anticipating critical traffic situations.
Chris Heiser
co-founder and CEO
Renovo Auto
USA
Synopsis: Today’s autonomous vehicles generate massive quantities of data from the cameras, lidars and other sensors that keep them operating safely (one autonomous vehicle creates >4TB every hour). Although this data has considerable technological and economic benefits, it can also represent significant implications for public privacy. In this talk, we will explore the data generation capabilities of autonomous vehicles, as well as how this data can be managed and used to best serve companies and the general public.
Tom Jansen
global domain leader connected and automated vehicles
Ricardo PLC
NETHERLANDS
Synopsis: We are seeing the deployment of many 'novel' pilots with self-driving vehicles around the world. Looking more closely, we see that often these vehicles feature a steward or safety driver on board who in fact is legally in control of the vehicle at all times. With new legislation slowly allowing testing without stewards on board, it is essential that we understand the practical implications for autonomous vehicles operating without safety drivers. In this session we will explain the implications for CAV design and testing from our practical experience working with industry leaders in recent (truly driverless) CAV projects.
Mark Thomas
VP marketing/alliances
Ridecell
USA
Synopsis: Much has been written about the technology required to enable mainstream autonomous vehicle services. The right business model will also be critical to driving the adoption and profitability of autonomous mobility services. In fact, data insights and fleet management skills are prerequisites for success in the next stage of city mobility: autonomous car sharing. This session will review the solid practical experience to be gained from leveraging Mobility as a Service platforms to manage shared mobility programs with electric and Level 4 fleets today. Discussion topics include how to maximize asset utilization with multi-service models, and develop membership growth and retention capability.
Harri Santamala
CEO
Sensible 4
FINLAND
Synopsis: We have all been reading in the news about various robotaxi, shuttle bus and fully autonomous vehicle developments, pilots and hype. This presentation covers the vision, the expectations and the current reality of autonomous driving from a critical perspective. As pilots and demos are underway in several countries, it is appropriate to ask when they will really be part of our everyday mobility. This presentation will offer a perspective on this vision and how it connects with technology development, as well as practical experiences that take into account the wider context and a vision of the future of road transportation.
Maud Bernard
innovative transportation systems program director
Systra
FRANCE
Synopsis: Compared with existing transportation systems, autonomous shuttles are a new product; numerous trials are being launched all around the world. Autonomous shuttles have the potential to bring new services that traditional public transport cannot offer: ultra-flexibility (any time, anywhere). But what can they promise? Under what conditions? Do they really fit in the long term? Conversely, bus rapid transit (BRT) already exists to provide an efficient transportation solution in the urban context, benefiting from dedicated lanes and priority systems, and offering capacity. How can traditional transportation systems benefit from autonomous technology? And with what added value, risk and efficiency?
Eric Meloche
crash avoidance research engineer
Transport Canada
CANADA
Synopsis: Although there is little to no doubt that full automation will ultimately be a reality, we must ensure that its deployment occurs in a safe and responsible way. From a regulator’s perspective, safety should always remain the paramount priority. As ADAS are leading the way and becoming the norm, we should also ensure that marketing does not mislead consumers and that the various systems’ limitations are communicated clearly. The results of an in-depth, all-season analysis of key ADAS features from 45 commercial systems will be presented, and the main safety benefits and concerns associated with partial automation will be discussed.
Karl Obermair
director - future mobility solutions
TÜV Rheinland
GERMANY
Synopsis: The proponents of automated driving normally substantiate their optimism by referring to the fact that about 90% of all road accidents are caused by human error. The mainstream argument is that if we were able to eliminate the major source of error – the driver – 90% of road accidents could be eliminated too. But of course, this argument is far too simple. Referring to a whole set of fundamental patterns regarding human behavior and typical human reactions to technological innovations, it is far more realistic to expect backlash effects that will weaken the principal advantages of automation.
Malcom Glenn
head of global policy, accessibility and underserved communities
Uber
USA
Synopsis: Uber is using technology to make transportation accessible and reliable for users with disabilities. In more than 600 cities across 64 countries on six continents, we’re committed to continuing to build solutions that support everyone’s ability to move around their communities. Our digital features are available everywhere and make the platform easier to use for people who are blind, deaf or have cognitive disabilities. And in major markets on four continents, we’re utilizing innovative models to bring wheelchair-accessible vehicles to our platform. Learn how we’re making accessibility a meaningful part of what we do, and help us along the journey.
Daniel Ruiz
CEO
Zenzic
UK
Synopsis: The success of future connected and automated mobility (CAM) lies in global collaboration. To accelerate the safe deployment of connected and self-driving vehicles, we need to encourage and enable global collaboration across critical areas of testing and development. Working together delivers incremental value to all stakeholders and improves coordination between leading countries in the drive to a mobile future. The UK Connected and Automated Mobility Roadmap to 2030 details developments from the present day to 2030. It presents a single vision that shows dependencies, focuses on investment and articulates the path to scaling capabilities and technologies globally. Greater alignment between countries in areas where it makes no sense to compete will enable the benefits of CAM to be realized at scale more quickly.