The prospect of autonomous vehicles can spark lively conversation, well beyond the gearhead fraternity who tend to cherish the idea of an engaged driving experience. In contrast, some vehicle users look forward to the day when we can travel from A to B without the need for human input, and, therefore, greater safety and much more.
However, recent semi-autonomous vehicle accidents have brought consumer attention to what we in the industry have known for some time. This autonomous driving thing isn’t as easy as some first thought. We’re seeing major OEMs back off earlier predictions for the implementation of Level 3 and 4 semi-autonomous vehicles, with the first mainstream high-end vehicle’s availability now estimated for 2021. The table summarizes the SAE International’s definitions for the levels of autonomous driving.
The race to bring autonomous vehicles to market and the cultural divide between the Silicon Valley and traditional automotive OEMs is heating up. Automotive OEMs are known for taking long and methodical approaches to solving problems, whereas Silicon Valley adopts the mindset of going fast, being agile, and not missing a market window. These two very diverse approaches bring the best of both worlds to the design floor of autonomous vehicles.