Unsettled Topics Concerning Automated Driving Systems and the Transportation Ecosystem


Book Description

Over the last 100 years, the automobile has become integrated in a fundamental way into the broader economy. A broad and deep ecosystem has emerged, and critical components of this ecosystem include insurance, after-market services, automobile retail sales, automobile lending, energy suppliers (e.g., gas stations), medical services, advertising, lawyers, banking, public planners, and law enforcement. These components - which together represent almost $2 trillion of the U.S. economy - are in equilibrium based on the current capabilities of automotive technology. However, the advent of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and technologies like electrification have the potential to significantly disrupt the automotive ecosystem. The critical cog governing the rate and pace of this shift is the management of the test and verification of AVs. In this SAE EDGE™ report, six senior industry leaders in the impacted ecosystems essay articles which describe sectors of the current automotive ecosystem and the manner in which AV technology can potentially reshape them - providing a mosaic of the massive infrastructure shifts which will be required to absorb AV technologies. NOTE: SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are intended to identify and illuminate key issues in emerging, but still unsettled, technologies of interest to the mobility industry. The goal of SAE EDGE™ Research Reports is to stimulate discussion and work in the hope of promoting and speeding resolution of identified issues. SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are not intended to resolve the issues they identify or close any topic to further scrutiny. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2019005




Unsettled Topics Concerning Automated Driving Systems and the Development Ecosystem


Book Description

With over 100 years of operation, the current automobile industry has settled into an equilibrium with the development of methodologies, regulations, and processes for improving safety. In addition, a nearly $2-trillion market operates in the automotive ecosystem with connections into fields ranging from insurance to advertising. Enabling this ecosystem is a well-honed, tiered supply chain and an established development environment. Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology is a leap forward for the existing automotive industry; now the automobile is expected to manage perception and decision-making tasks. The safety technologies associated with these tasks were presented in an earlier SAE EDGE™ Research Report, “Unsettled Technology Areas in Autonomous Vehicle Test and Validation.” In a later SAE EDGE™ Research Report, “Unsettled Topics Concerning Automated Driving Systems and the Transportation Ecosystem,” senior executives from the automotive ecosystem explored the impact of AV technology as they faced the prospect of this disruptive technology entering their marketplace. Interestingly, stable use-models and market penetration were all gated primarily by the demonstration of AV safety. Building on these previous verification and validation (V&V)-related reports, “Unsettled Topics Concerning Automated Driving Systems and the Development Ecosystem” explores the open issues in the shift of the development and supplier environment toward a new AV-enabled future. NOTE: SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are intended to identify and illuminate key issues in emerging, but still unsettled, technologies of interest to the mobility industry. The goal of SAE EDGE™ Research Reports is to stimulate discussion and work in the hope of promoting and speeding resolution of identified issues. SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are not intended to resolve the challenges they identify or close any topic to further scrutiny. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2020004




Unsettled Topics Concerning Autonomous Public Transportation Systems


Book Description

With billions of dollars of investment and events like DARPA’s Grand Challenges automated driving technology has been making its way toward commercialization. While the enabling technology for SAE Level 4 and 5 automated vehicles (AV) has not yet matured, specific restricted-use models such as “robo-taxis” and automated truck convoying show great promise. Now, cities are across the world are looking to AVs to solve their public transportation issues. With low speeds and fixed route, public transportation is an ideal application for AVs. From a business angle, AVs could leverage existing public transport models and infrastructure while providing superior quality of service for disadvantaged communities. Yet, dense urban environments—which would benefit from automated transportation the most—present unique challenges and public sector requirements. This SAE EDGE™ Research Report by Dr. Rahul Razdan examines the divergent applications and experiences of four urban cities as they engage with AV technology for their specific purposes: Jacksonville and Orlando, Florida; Tallinn; and Singapore. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2020020




Unsettled Issues Regarding Autonomous Vehicles and Open-source Software


Book Description

As automobiles morph from stand-alone mechanical objects to highly connected, autonomous systems with increasing amounts of electronic components. To manage these complex systems, some semblance of in-car decision-making is also being built and networked to a cloud architecture. This cloud can also enable even deeper capabilities within the broader automotive ecosystem. Unsettled Issues Regarding Autonomous Vehicles and Open-source Software introduces the impact of software in advanced automotive applications, the role of open-source communities in accelerating innovation, and the important topic of safety and cybersecurity. As electronic functionality is captured in software and a bigger percentage of that software is open-source code, some critical challenges arise concerning security and validation. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2021009




Unsettled Impacts of Integrating Automated Electric Vehicles into a Mobility-as-a-Service Ecosystem and Effects on Traditional Transportation and Ownership


Book Description

The current business model of the automotive industry is based on individual car ownership, yet new ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft are well capitalized to invest in large, commercially operated, on-demand mobility service vehicle fleets. Car manufacturers like Tesla want to incorporate personal car owners into part-time fleet operation by utilizing the company’s fleet service. These robotaxi fleets can be operated profitably when the technology works in a reliable manner and regulators allow driverless operation. Although Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) models of private and commercial vehicle fleets can complement public transportation models, they may contribute to lower public transportation ridership and thus higher subsidies per ride. This can lead to inefficiencies in the utilization of existing public transportation infrastructure. MaaS platforms can also cause a reduced reliance on parking infrastructure (e.g., street parking lanes and parking garages) which can contribute to an improvement in overall traffic flow, and a reduction in capital investment for commercial and residential real-estate development. Urban planning can be better centered around the true mobility needs of the citizens without sacrificing valuable space for vehicles that are inactive most of the time. A key challenge is the transition phase where traditional forms of car ownership and transportation coexist with new forms of mobility services (before true MaaS platforms are fully optimized). Another fundamental issue is determining the true cost of car ownership and establishing ideal cost structures for on-demand mobility services in order to replace the need of owning a car. This needs to occur without compromising subsidized public transportation which provides affordable transportation for low-income groups. NOTE: SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are intended to identify and illuminate key issues in emerging, but still unsettled, technologies of interest to the mobility industry. The goal of SAE EDGE™ Research Reports is to stimulate discussion and work in the hope of promoting and speeding resolution of identified issues. SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are not intended to resolve the issues they identify or close any topic to further scrutiny. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2019004




Unsettled Issues Concerning Automated Driving Services in the Smart City Infrastructure


Book Description

Information and communication technology is fundamentally changing the way we live and operate in cities, such as instant access to events, transportation, bookings, payments, and other services. At the same time, three “megatrends” in the automotive industry—self-driving, electrification, and advanced manufacturing technology—are enabling the design of innovative, application-specific vehicles that capitalize on city connectivity. Applications could countless; however, they also need to be safe and securely integrated into a city’s physical and digital infrastructure, and into the overall urban ecosystem. Unsettled Issues Concerning Automated Driving Services in the Smart City Infrastructure examines the current state of the industry, the developments in automated driving and robotics, and how these new urban, self-driving city applications are different. It also analyzes higher level challenges for urban applications. Ultimately, this report includes several options for sharing lessons learned among different cities and their stakeholders. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2021030




Unsettled Issues Regarding Communication of Automated Vehicles with Other Road Users


Book Description

The focus of this SAE EDGE™ Research Report is to address a topic overlooked by many who choose to view automated driving systems and AVs from a “10,000-foot” perspective: how automated vehicles (AVs) will actually communicate with other road users. Conventional (human-driven) vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians already have a functioning system of understating each other while on the move. Adding automated vehicles to the mix requires assessing the spectrum of existing modes of communication – both implicit and explicit, biological and technological, and how they will interact with each other in the real world. The impending deployment of AVs represents a major shift in the traditional approach to ground transportation; its effects will inevitably be felt by parties directly involved with the vehicle manufacturing and use and those that play roles in the mobility ecosystem (e.g., aftermarket and maintenance industries, infrastructure and planning organizations, automotive insurance providers, marketers, telecommunication companies). Unsettled Issues Regarding Communication of Automated Vehicles with Other Road Users brings together the multiple scenarios we are likely to see in a future not too far away and how they are likely to play out in practical ways. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2020023




Unsettled Technology Areas in Autonomous Vehicle Test and Validation


Book Description

Automated driving system (ADS) technology and ADS-enabled/operated vehicles - commonly referred to as automated vehicles and autonomous vehicles (AVs) - have the potential to impact the world as significantly as the internal combustion engine. Successful ADS technologies could fundamentally transform the automotive industry, civil planning, the energy sector, and more. Rapid progress is being made in artificial intelligence (AI), which sits at the core of and forms the basis of ADS platforms. Consequently, autonomous capabilities such as those afforded by advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and other automation solutions are increasingly becoming available in the marketplace. To achieve highly or fully automated or autonomous capabilities, a major leap forward in the validation of these ADS technologies is required. Without this critical cog, helping to ensure the safety and reliability of these systems and platforms, the full capabilities of ADS technology will not be realized. This paper explores the ADS validation challenge by reviewing existing approaches and examining the effectiveness of those approaches, presenting critical techniques required to bring safe and effective solutions to market, discussing unsettled topics, and suggesting next steps for industry stakeholders to consider as they work to advance the ADS ecosystem. NOTE: SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are intended to identify and illuminate key issues in emerging, but still unsettled, technologies of interest to the mobility industry. The goal of SAE EDGE™ Research Reports is to stimulate discussion and work in the hope of promoting and speeding resolution of identified issues. SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are not intended to resolve the issues they identify or close any topic to further scrutiny. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2019001




Unsettled Topics Concerning the Impact of Quantum Technologies on Automotive Cybersecurity


Book Description

Quantum computing is considered the “next big thing” when it comes to solving computational problems impossible to tackle using conventional computers. However, a major concern is that quantum computers could be used to crack current cryptographic schemes designed to withstand traditional cyberattacks. This threat also impacts future automated vehicles as they become embedded in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) ecosystem. In this scenario, encrypted data is transmitted between a complex network of cloud-based data servers, vehicle-based data servers, and vehicle sensors and controllers. While the vehicle hardware ages, the software enabling V2X interactions will be updated multiple times. It is essential to make the V2X ecosystem quantum-safe through use of “post-quantum cryptography” as well other applicable quantum technologies. This SAE EDGE™ Research Report considers the following three areas to be unsettled questions in the V2X ecosystem: How soon will quantum computing pose a threat to connected and automated vehicle technologies? What steps and measures are needed to make a V2X ecosystem “quantum-safe?” What standardization is needed to ensure that quantum technologies do not pose an unacceptable risk from an automotive cybersecurity perspective? Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2020026




Sustainability Prospects for Autonomous Vehicles


Book Description

The Autonomous Vehicle (AV) has been strongly heralded as the most exciting innovation in automobility for decades. Autonomous Vehicles are no longer an innovation of the future (seen only in science fiction) but are now being road-tested for use. And yet while the technical and economic success and possibilities of the AV have been widely debated, there has been a notable lack of discussion around the social, behavioural, and environmental implications. This book is the first to address these issues and to deeply consider the environmental and social sustainability outlook for the AV and how it will impact on communities. Environmental and social sustainability are goals unlike those of technical development (a new tool) and economic development (a new investment). The goal of sustainability is development of societies that live well and equitably within their ecological limits. Is it reasonable and desirable that only technical and economic success comprise the swelling AV parade, or should we be looking at the wider impacts on personal well-being, wider society, and the environment? The uptake for AVs looks to be lengthy, disjointed, and episodic, in large measure because it faces a range of known unknown risks. This book assesses the environmental and social sustainability potential for AVs based on their prospective energy use and their impacts on climate change, urban landscapes, public health, mobility inequalities, and individual and social well-being. It examines public attitudes about AV use and its risk of fostering a rebound effect that compromises potential sustainability gains. The book concludes with a discussion of critical issues involved in sustainable AV diffusion.