Autonomous Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles
We have been hearing a lot of talk and getting questions on the current status and the future of autonomous vehicles within the medium and heavy segment.
Early adopters of autonomous technology will likely be in the class 8 long haul segment followed by the bus and medium duty truck segment. Currently, the high cost of the technology can be better absorbed in class 8 long-haul truck applications.
The transition from level 0 to level 1 and 2 is happening relatively quickly due in part to the availability of the technology. Level 3 adoption is still a few years away and it is currently not legal to use on the highway. It will likely be 2027 or 2028 before we see small levels of level 3 commercial vehicles on the road.
Level 4 and level 5 vehicles will likely begin with class 8 semi-trucks and long-haul straight trucks in small quantities of level 4 starting at the very end of this decade. Introduction of series production of level 4 and 5 heavy trucks is likely at least a decade away. Very early testing of fully autonomous trucks is underway and more significant testing is expected in the 2024/2025 timeframe.
Here are brief definitions for the six levels of autonomy as defined by SAE J3016.
SAE Level 1: At Level 1, the lowest rung of automation, a vehicle has at least one driver support system that provides steering assistance OR braking and acceleration assistance. The driver remains responsible for driving the vehicle and must be prepared to take control at any time and for any reason. Adaptive cruise control is an example of a Level 1 driver assistance technology. It maintains a safe following distance between your vehicle and traffic ahead without any intervention by the driver. A steering assistance feature, such as lane-centering assistance or lane-following assistance, would also qualify as Level 1 autonomy. However, a vehicle with both of these features working together qualifies as Level 2 driving automation.
Level 1 SAE Examples
- Steering OR brake/ acceleration support to the driver
- Lane centering OR adaptive cruise control
SAE Level 2: Level 2 automated driving is defined as systems that provide steering and brake/acceleration support, as well as lane centering and adaptive cruise control. Even if these technologies are activated, the human at the wheel must be driving and constantly supervising the automated features. Level 2 driving automation applies to vehicles with advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) that can take over steering, acceleration, and braking in specific scenarios.
Level 2 SAE Examples
- Steering AND brake/acceleration support to the driver.
- Lane centering AND adaptive cruise control at the same time.
SAE Level 3: Level 3 is known as conditional driving automation. It uses various driver assistance systems and artificial intelligence to make decisions based on changing driving situations around the vehicle. People inside the vehicle do not need to supervise the technology, which means they can engage in other activities. However, a human driver must be present, alert, and able to take control of the vehicle at any time, especially in the case of an emergency due to system failure. The leap from Level 2 to Level 3 automation is significant, so no Level 3 systems are legal to use on American roads. Yet.
SAE Level 4: An automated driving system (ADS) on the vehicle can itself perform all driving tasks and monitor the driving environment – essentially, do all the driving – in certain circumstances. The human need not pay attention in those circumstances. SAE Level 5: An automated driving system (ADS) on the vehicle can do all the driving in all circumstances. The human occupants are just passengers and need never be involved in driving. PSR
Chris Fisher is Senior Commercial Vehicle Analyst at Power Systems Research
