Despite bold proclamations from autonomous car manufacturers, fully autonomous cars may still be years ahead. One of the main reasons is the fact that the technology necessary to make fully autonomous vehicles an everyday reality is not yet advanced enough. Car manufacturers are, however, implementing some ready-to-use technologies into new vehicles, giving them a degree of autonomy in specific tasks.
Varying levels of autonomy
The terminology surrounding autonomous vehicles is fragmented and inconsistent. The terms ‘autonomous’, ‘automated’, and ‘self-driving’ may be used interchangeably or to describe various degrees of vehicle automation. To standardize the language, SAE International published a six-level classification system based on the degree of driver intervention in 2014. Level 0 is used for vehicles with minimal automation that assists the driver in certain situations. At the same time, Level 5 stands for fully autonomous vehicles that can function without a human driver.In 2025, almost 60 percent of all new cars sold globally will have Level 2 autonomy. In 2030, Level 2 autonomous vehicles are expected to dominate the market still, but Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous vehicles should account for around eight percent of all new car sales.
