SHOPSMART AUTOS – CUSTOMER INFORMATION – JULY 1, 2021 (PT.1)
The future of driving: what to expect in 2021 and beyond
From flying taxis and self-driving cars to personal jet packs, emerging transportation technologies like these, once considered futuristic, are seemingly on the cusp of becoming an everyday reality. However, the true advancements made in these kinds of technologies have perhaps been overstated. So far, the reality in 2021 is that we are unlikely to see autonomous vehicles on the road for at least a number of years.
Current progress in the UK
In the UK, the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles plans to undertake experimental trials for autonomous cars in spring 2021. This could see the introduction of Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) on UK roads, enabling vehicles to move at low speed, without any need for the driver to intervene. The UK has also set up the Darwin SatCom Lab in Oxfordshire for commercial driverless car trials. However, one of the biggest challenges to scaling up these kinds of intelligent transport systems in practice is that the supporting infrastructure is yet to mature. Trams and trains are able to run as they do because they have a defined infrastructure made up of their own light signals and tracks. On the other hand, there is no comparable supporting infrastructure that enables driverless cars. Getting the correct infrastructure protocols defined and agreed upon is another crucial step towards taking driverless cars mainstream An intelligent infrastructure is required to facilitate the jump to autonomy, as cars will need to exchange large volumes of data to continuously understand the context and environment around them, both to help control their movements and to ensure passenger safety. While some developments have been made, such as the increased use of embedded road-sensors and techniques like London’s SCOOT, which reduces congestion by varying traffic signals based on vehicle flow rate, there is still a long way to go. Until the appropriate infrastructure is in place, it will also be difficult for insurers to offer competitive services for consumers who own such cars.
The road to driverless vehicles
A number of developments in key technology areas will be required to support the required infrastructure. Among other things, these include IoT enablement for roads, lanes, signals, road-signs, parking, and e-charging points; a robust 5G network for real-time, high volume data sharing (V2V, V2I); cloud-based mobility-as-a-service platforms that capture, collate, and share data with wider transport ecosystems and AI-driven automated traffic management and decision support to help predict congestion, hazard detections and diversion. Getting the correct infrastructure protocols defined and agreed upon is another crucial step towards taking driverless cars mainstream. The regulatory bodies across the UK and Europe are developing the policies, standards, and strategic roadmaps for development and large-scale deployment of connected and automated mobility (CAM). This includes 5G cross-border corridors, C-Roads projects for the digitalisation of road infrastructures, and Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (CITS)—a system that enables V2V and V2I data exchange. So far developments have been slow, which is significantly hindering the chances of seeing such vehicles on the road over the next 12 months.
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