Every time we talk about autonomous vehicles, our imagination reaches a driverless car running on the road or maybe a driver sitting and reading or scrolling through his mobile as the car cruises its way through. Definitely, it is a thrilling and appealing idea; however, we still have to wait for the day when this idea becomes a reality in our everyday lives.

When we talk about autonomous vehicles, we talk about a range of vehicles that are smart and have special features and capabilities. Unfortunately, for now, there are no fully automated cars available for purchase. Also, as stressed upon by industry experts often, autonomous technology isn’t just all or nothing; there is a major grey area in between that we shall understand.

All major tech giants globally are trying to achieve a competitive edge in the market by offering functionalities for autonomous vehicles.

Google sibling company Waymo recently announced a $2.5 billion investment round, which will go toward advancing its autonomous driving technology and growing its team. Waymo says it eventually wants individuals to own and operate vehicles using its autonomous driving technology. The company said the car had driven tens of millions of miles on public roads across 25 cities in the U.S. so far.

Microsoft is engaged in several autonomous initiatives, partnering with Volkswagen AG around self-driving car software.

Meanwhile, Amazon is working with Rivian Automotive, which is making electric trucks, and last year bought driverless startup Zoox. 

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) defines 6 levels of driving automation ranging from 0 (fully manual) to 5 (fully autonomous). SAE has cooperative agreements with organizations in Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Australasia, and India. In April 2021, the SAE published an update to its taxonomy to clarify that Levels 0-2 are “driver support features” because the driver is still heavily involved with the vehicle operation, while Levels 3-5 are “automated driving features.”

Level 0: These kinds of cars provide no Driving Automation. These are our everyday car. These include cruise control functionalities to assist during long-distance driving and minimize the risk of over-speeding. Almost all cars today offer Level 0 autonomous technology. The driver is the sole in charge of all driving activities making these vehicles the least autonomic or not autonomic. 

Level 1: Driver Assistance. This level of automation means you can enjoy capabilities and features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist to ease your driving experience. The adaptive cruise control maintains safe distancing with the nearby vehicles using radars or cameras that can automatically apply brakes in events of slow traffic and can speed up in case of clear road, within the speed limit. Such vehicles will have one automatic operating system like Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), and more. With lane assist, the driver gets alerts around when to shift a lane and when not to.

This level of autonomy comes in most of the advanced cars these days and helps the driver; however, automation can’t be used for full-fledged driving.

Level 2: Partial Automation. Vehicles with level 2 automation have two or more autonomic systems working simultaneously. However, even in this kind of automation, the driver has to control the steering and be there to take control at any moment. The problem with this kind of automated vehicle is that they might require the driver’s attention at any moment and respond based on the road condition or events. Therefore, the autonomic system in this level 2 vehicles is not capable enough to prevent certain kinds of accidents or problems. Tesla Autopilot, Volvo Pilot Assist, Audi Traffic Jam Assist are some examples of Level 2 autonomous capabilities.

Level 3: Conditional Driving Automation. This level of automation is the transition between the current autonomous vehicles and the ones that the future holds that is the reality of having a driverless vehicle under ideal conditions and with some limitations. In these vehicles, though the driver is off the steering wheel, his presence is required. In case the on-road situation goes below the ideal, the driver is expected to take over. These cars are highly automated, while they cannot function without a human who acts as a monitor for supervising any emergency. Mercedes claims that the 2021 S-Class is prepped for Level 4 autonomous driving and, in their September announcement of the new vehicle, executives said that “Level 3 conditional driving is near.”

Level 4: High Driving Automation. Level 4 autonomous vehicles are fully capable of driving on their own. But in specific conditions, the autonomous system might hand over the charge or even alert and warn the driver to take control in case the situation worsens beyond the ones stated or programmed. These vehicles are capable of fully controlling themselves in case the driver doesn’t intervene. This allows the driver the flexibility to read or even relax and not pay attention to the road. Hyundai’s NEXO successfully completed a first 190-km test run between Seoul and Pyeongchang involving lane changing and passing maneuvers as well as transitions via toll stations.

Level 5: Full Driving Automation. These vehicles are fully autonomous and require no driver behind the wheel. There shall be no constraints, restrictions, situations, conditions, or circumstances where a driver will be required. These vehicles might not even have steering wheels or brake pedals. They can work with the voice commands of the passengers around the destination or so.

The advantages of automating vehicles are many, and most of us are aware of them. These vehicles will make it easier for people with special abilities like visual impairments enabling them to travel without assistance. These autonomous cars will improve the lives of people who have hectic jobs, long and exhaustive commutes. This will add to hours in the workday of people that otherwise used to get lost being on the road just driving. The consumers around the world are thrilled about these robocars, however they're a lot of concerns around safety and affordability of these vehicles. Looking at the progress we can hope to have all sorts of affordable options for people at large to be benefitted by this autonomous technology.