Automotive News Europe - October 2019 - 14

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

AUTOMAKERS

Held back
Audi, BMW, others frustrated by hurdles slowing launch of self-driving cars
CHRISTIAAN HETZNER
chetzner@autonews.com

rustration is rising over restrictive autonomous driving regulations in Europe,
where automakers are still waiting for basic levels of the technology to be approved
for sale. Volkswagen Group's Audi brand
was the first to develop "eyes-off" conditional Level 3 autonomous functionality
with the A8 flagship sedan that launched
in late 2017. However, the system, called
Traffic Jam Pilot, has yet to be approved for
sale by regulators.
Daimler is nearing the release of a Mercedes-Benz S class that should offer Level
3 autonomy as soon as it hits the market
in 2020, according to executives. (Automation technology is categorized on the SAE
International spectrum ranging from Level
0 to Level 5.) BMW in 2021 is due to debut its iNEXT electric crossover which is
expected to be loaded with advanced selfdriving features. That is, if engineers such
as Alejandro Vukotich can make some
headway with regulators. The 2017 Automotive News Europe Eurostar led Audi's autonomous driving program that culminated
in the A8's Traffic Jam Pilot before BMW
poached him in January to assist with the
iNEXT's autonomous driving capabilities.
"Take the example of emergency assist,
where the car pulls over to the side of the
road should the driver become unresponsive. This is better than doing nothing in
such an event, but there is no type approval," Vukotich said.
The only legally safe option for a vehicle
in this case is to continue on its trajectory
unimpeded regardless of the mayhem that
could ensue. Even certain Level 2+ advanced assistance systems that BMW offers in the United States and China, such
as hands-off driving at 60 kph, is not allowed in Europe, Vukotich said. "The legal
framework on the requirements for certifying a [Level 3] system for sale in Europe
has not been clarified," he told ANE.
The auto industry's chief lobbyist is also
unhappy with the pace of regulatory
progress at the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE), the
governing body responsible for setting

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Waymo has partnered with Jaguar Land Rover to test the tech company's
self-driving system in a fleet of I-Pace crossovers.
standards for homologation in much of
the world. "This is a big issue. We need
to question whether the approach that
Europe has been following until now on
homologation for cars is something we
can maintain in the future with regards to
autonomous vehicles," said Erik Jonnaert,
departing secretary general at ACEA.

1.35 million traffic deaths
At the argument's core is safety, which
is both hindering and helping the tech.
On the one hand, 1.35 million people die
around the world in traffic crashes every
year: "It's as if an Airbus A320 with 150
people on board was crashing every hour
of every day all year long," Waymo CEO
John Krafcik said as a way of putting the
need for the technology into perspective.
On the other hand, executives acknowledge that although roughly 90 percent of
accidents in Europe are because of human error, an autonomous car not only
has to be far better, it needs to be nearly
flawless. UNECE published a framework
document in early September that "puts
safety at the center of any development
in this area." In March 2018, authorities in Arizona suspended Uber's ability
to test its self-driving cars after one of
them hit and killed a woman crossing
the street at night. A year later Arizona
prosecutors said Uber was not criminally

liable and would not pursue charges, but
the incident underlined the risks.
"It has to be 99.999 percent safe," said
Sajjad Khan, the management board
member for future technologies including
driverless cars at Mercedes-Benz. But this
isn't just a matter of regulations such as
type approval. Among automakers, the issue of industry standardization is also hotly debated. The reason is simple: limit litigation risks. "The industry underestimated
the complexity at the outset," said Danny
Shapiro, senior director of automotive at
chipmaker Nvidia. "More computing, more
sensors and more software is required."
Daimler, BMW, VW, Audi and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have teamed up with key
suppliers such as Aptiv and Continental
as well as chipmakers Intel and Infineon
to publish an extensive white paper detailing proposals to harmonize aspects
of development, testing and validation of
autonomous driving technology.
Part of the problem is that automakers
are concerned about their liability in the
event of a crash. Negligence by the driver
to maintain control of a Level 3 vehicle
could contribute to such an event. Therefore, one idea automakers are considering is to focus on robotaxi fleets that
may be more sophisticated but are fully
operated by the manufacturer to ensure

OCTOBER 2019

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Automotive News Europe - October 2019

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