The development of driverless technology has gathered momentum along with claims that automation should bring with it improved road safety, fuel efficiency and ecological benefits. Leading automotive brands including Mercedes-Benz and Nissan are working on high profile driverless vehicles while Google’s much-discussed autonomous car project will see the search giant join the race to meet the demands of a potentially significant new market.

All the emerging driverless vehicles, including the Google car and the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025, utilise an array of sensors, including laser rangefinders, radars and video, alongside GPS. While the GPS fulfils the task of localised navigation, the sensors provide a more intricate picture of the vehicle’s position and surrounding environment, which is used by on-board computers to find the optimal path and make split-second decisions. This information is then fed to actuators that control the vehicle’s brakes, steering and throttle.

Another interesting aspect of driverless technology concerns its potential implementation in the fleet industry. There are clear commercial advantages to be gained by using autonomous vehicles that have the potential to reduce demands on drivers and cut fuel costs. The emergence of the Future Truck 2025, a prototype self-driving truck that Mercedes-Benz hope to put into production within a decade, certainly suggests that self-drive technology won’t be limited to cars.

Truck drivers will be pleased to hear that Mercedes-Benz is not aiming to eliminate human interaction from the equation completely. Instead the Future Truck 2025 is designed to free drivers up to perform other tasks while overseeing the truck’s journey.

A role beyond driving

 

The fact that the driver’s seat swivels 45 degrees away from the controls (creating a work area) certainly gives the impression that drivers won’t be required to keep their eyes pinned on the road and the inclusion of a removable tablet screen in the cabin means that drivers will be able to perform other tasks like itinerary panning and billing while the vehicle is in motion. The role of the driver would be redefined, but not jettisoned.

The creation of new space and time to carry out work tasks has significant ramifications for business which, when allied with reduced fuel costs and other economic advantages, could make driverless technology a key factor in commercial growth in the years ahead. Indeed, there will be many calling for serious investment in the new technology in order to maintain Britain’s competitive edge. Jonathan Lingham of S&B Commercials stressed the potential significance of driverless technology to industry in the UK.

“While the implementation of automation has caused concern for a loss in recruitment and safety concerns in the past, in actual fact it has improved recruitment, aided company growth and also evolved company technology,” he said.

“A lack of investment in driverless technology will only result in UK transport companies losing their competitive edge. Not only does this lead to UK companies losing out to international rivals but also factory closures and unemployment. Investing in driverless technology is crucial to developing the industry, offering roles of higher value.”

Ultimately it is impossible to imagine driverless trucks not becoming the norm if they are proven to be cheaper to run than their manned equivalents. In Japan, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has already trialled a convoy of driverless trucks that utilised a variety of self-drive technologies.

The four-truck formation was able to maintain a consistent four-metre distance between the vehicles for the entirety of the course. In the event of a truck braking suddenly the transmission of the event to the following vehicle would take just 20 milliseconds ensuring that even four metres allows sufficient response time. NEDO claim that the implementation of their driverless technology will save at least 15% in fuel consumption. It is hard to imagine such significant margins being ignored by business or legislators.

Autonomous convoy

Interestingly the implementation of a partially autonomous convoy has also been trialled in Nevada by Peloton Tech. In this instance the distance between the lead and following trucks was a rather less ambitious ten metres and a human driver controlled the lead truck normally. Even the following truck’s driver still steered.

While this may seem like a less ground-breaking set up, the utilisation of a computer system to safely pair trucks by controlling brakes and throttle still increases efficiency (4.5% for the lead truck and 10% for the following trucks) thanks to a significant reduction in wind drag on the trucks. Because Peloton’s system is covered by the same regulations as adaptive cruise control, it is also legally operable right now.

From all angles, it seems self-driving cars appears to have a green light from the motoring industry, according to Lingham, even if there are still plenty of legal hoops to jump through before we are all enjoying a hands-free drive down the motorway.

“This new technology will of course be accompanied by regulations, policies and reviews,” he assured. “As with all brand new technology, decisions will need to be made as to who takes responsibility for things, and as the technology develops to become more commercial, it will bring a whole new set of implications for manufacturers, dealers and businesses.”

The UK government has already announced a driverless car review, with the aim of publishing a code of practice for driverless technology this spring. It is thought that changes to the Highway Code and the MOT test will be necessary before driverless vehicles can be accommodated on UK roads but the government certainly seems keen to position the UK at the forefront of the new technology, promising a full review of current legislation by the summer of 2017 and injecting £19 million into four driverless car schemes including the testing of self-drive pods in Milton Keynes and Coventry.

Significant challenges accompany the development of market-ready driverless vehicles and, while plenty of the technology already exists and is in relatively commonplace use on today’s roads, aspects of autonomous driving pose intriguing new problems that require the industry to reach for truly innovative solutions that might fall outside the traditional remit. The fact that Nissan are teaming up with NASA to develop their autonomous vehicles goes to show that this brave new era is asking challenging new questions of motoring brands. 

It is clear that driverless technology is emerging as a priority for both automotive manufacturers and governments and it will be fascinating to see how its introduction over the coming years will transform aspects of our lives that have traditionally been constrained by the need to drive. Like it or not, the self-drive revolution is here and the road ahead certainly looks intriguing – so sit back and enjoy the ride.