IN DETAIL
After years of promises and millions in investment, autonomous cars are still stuck somewhere in the future. We examine the obstacles.
Whether we want them or not, autonomous cars are firmly in the future product plans of many big car makers. But we’ve been hearing this for years, and yet we seem no nearer to the promise becoming reality. What gives?
WHAT’S CURRENTLY AVAILABLE?
We currently have Level 2.5 automation; a fudging of boundaries between high-grade driver assistance (Level 2) and the ability to drive for extended periods without touching the wheel (Level 3). Most manufacturers offer adaptive cruise control, and EuroNCAP demands you have lane guidance if you want top marks in crash tests. For all Tesla’s bold claims around its ‘Autopilot’ system, the driver still needs to assure the car that he or she is at the wheel and paying attention. VW’s Travel Assist system combines lane keeping with cruise control able to slow down for speed limit changes, sharp turns and junctions.
Audi bragged it had Level 3 tech ready on the A8 back in 2017, with a proudly placed ‘AI’ button in the centre of the dashboard for activating the tech. Mercedes, meanwhile, says the first S-Class models with its Level 3 Drive Pilot system are coming off the production line now.
WHAT’S STOPPING US USING THE NEW TECH?
Legislation, mainly. Mercedes has only just had legal sign-off to activate tech that’s been in the S-Class since 2020, with caveats.
Audi paused its AI plans with the A8, blanking off the AI button come production time as it, too, was in legal hell. As Audi looks to the future with its Level 4 ‘Sphere’ concepts, it’s still wary of delays. ‘Homologation and legal hurdles are issues for many engineers – not just at Audi,’ says Josef Schlossmacher, Audi spokesperson for show cars, ‘but we’re much further advanced when it comes to market introduction.’
AUDI HAD TO PAUSE ITS AI PLANS, BLANKING OFF BUTTONS IN THE A8 AS IT WAS STUCK IN LEGAL HELL
