Will there be self-driving cars by the Summer of 2021?
Utopia
Instead of hailing a taxi, perhaps you’d like to be chauffeured by your own car. It’s not an uncommon vision of utopia: we have been hearing a great deal about the self-driving car for a while. And it’s rather appealing. Imagine staggering out of the restaurant, selecting ‘home’ on the navigation system and being delivered to your front doorstep.
Or maybe you fancy a long walk in the countryside and programme the car to meet you at your destination. Perhaps you need picking up from the station or the car takes itself off for a service or maintenance. Whatever our idea of a self-driving car’s capabilities, the reality seems tantalisingly close yet frustratingly just out of reach.
Hold on though: don’t Tesla's have Autopilot? And aren’t there clever features on many cars which keep you in lane and maintain your distance from the car in front? Absolutely, but these deliver driver assistance. Tesla's self driving car isn't quite available just yet and you won't get much closer this year. This means if you’re behind the wheel, you are still completely - and legally - in charge.
But before we become disillusioned about the wait for the fully autonomous car, we should celebrate the technology which is with us today. Let’s start by looking at the different levels of autonomy as defined in the industry and and consider where we are on this path to the future.
Levels of autonomy - how do self driving cars work
The automotive industry has set out six levels of autonomy for vehicles. Here's the levels to achieve a fully self driving car:
0. No automation
There is no driver assistance at all. All tasks are performed manually by a human.
1. Driver assistance
The vehicle has single automated driving aid, for example cruise control.
2. Partial automation
This includes steering and acceleration but the human can take over any time.
3. Conditional automation
Includes environmental detection, still with human override required.
4. High automation
All driving tasks are possible under specific circumstances. However, geofencing is required. And the human can still take control.
5. Full automation
A vehicle performs all tasks without human intervention or interaction.
What’s stopping full autonomy?
When it comes to our current ability, there are many cars which achieve level two. The leap to three and above is the hard bit. But how do self driving cars work?
Technology
The key steps are environmental awareness and connectivity. By environmental awareness, we’re talking about what’s around the vehicle and how it ‘sees’. This typically requires a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) scanner. Immense computing power is also needed to process the data quickly.
Connectivity is important because it allows vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-hub communication. This means cars will be able to ‘talk’ to each other and essentially helps vehicles understand the wider picture. It’s also one of the reasons to move to 5G communications which allows a million connected devices per square kilometre rather than around 4,000 with 4G.
The real world
Real world driving scenarios present an infinite number of possibilities to a driver and it’s these which in-car computers will have to deal with. Bad weather, damaged roads, litter and seemingly random manoeuvres by other road users all contribute to the challenge.
Just consider driving down a narrow country lane and meeting another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. Imagine the processing needed to determine the last passing place and work out which car reverses to allow the other to pass. It’s all these oddities which mean the likelihood that human intervention will be required for some time yet.
Legislation
Legislation also forms an important part of the equation. The Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission are reviewing driving legislation to prepare for the introduction of self-driving vehicles on UK roads. The report - with its recommendations - is due for publication at the end of this year and is really only the start of the process.
What are the best elements of autonomy available now?
If you haven’t driven something new for a while, you might be surprised what’s available today. Invariably, manufacturers put the latest tech on their premium brands and top models but technology is increasingly important in vehicles’ safety ratings.
So features such as city brake where, under a certain speed, the car will bring itself to a halt if it detects a potential collision, are widely available.
Here are our top features to look out for (but note, not all functions are available on all cars and not necessarily fitted to lower trim levels so it’s worth checking the specifications detail when considering a new car).
Head-on collision avoidance
Stay in lane
Adaptive cruise control
Auto lane changing
Blind spot warning
City brake
Park assist
Our top pick of (almost) self-driving cars in 2021:
Tesla Model 3
The self driving components in the Tesla Model 3 make the brand a king when it comes to promoting its Auto Pilot branded technology.
Volvo XC40
Volvo’s cars feature Pilot Assist, level two autonomy, and its pleasing the Volvo XC40 is a favourite.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
For devouring motorway miles, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is perfect and can even change lanes automatically when you indicate.
BMW 7-Series
As you’d expect, the elegant saloon makes full use of the level two autonomy features. The BMW 7-Series continues to make noise in the automotive industry as the brand finds itself one step closer to providing self-driving vehicles.
Audi e-tron
This full EV comes with the latest driver assistance such as Active Lane Assist making the Audi e-tron ahead of its time when it comes to the search for self-driving vehicles in 2021.
Honda-e
This neat and contemporary EV is available with Honda Sensing, Honda’s suite of safety and assistance kit. The Honda-e was created for the city so though it cannot drive you to that 9am meeting; it will give you the next best thing by navigating you through busy spells and tight turnings with its advanced technology of sensors.
When will self driving cars be available?
The great news is that the development of driver assistance technology makes driving safer. It can make long journeys less stressful. And we know the pace of development means increasing levels of assistance and protection while behind the wheel, all for our benefit.
At the very least, vehicles can alert a driver to a threat - and in many cases, will be able to take evasive action. So while your desire to be chauffeured home from the pub is likely to be a few years away, when you are driving yourself (sober, of course) you are increasingly likely to arrive safely.
Automotive technology is rapidly changing with the leap from one model to the next being dramatic - even after a couple of years. For those with more life experience, electric and hybrids vehicles may have seemed out of this world back in the day. That being said, we find enjoyment taking a trip down memory lane and reflecting back on the vehicles our parents or grandparents drove. We curated a list of our 9 favourite famous cars your dad probably droveyour dad probably drove in our latest blog so you can see the evolution of the most iconic manufactures for yourself.