Page 9 - EE Times Europe Magazine | June2020

EE|Times EUROPE 9

Full AV Stacks: Five Years In, Does the Progress Measure Up?

that its AV software has suddenly gotten a Waymo, for example, posted on its website, for autonomous vehicles could be larger than
lot safer than Waymo’s (13.2k miles between “All of our Waymo One rider services in expected.”
disengagements) and GM (12.2k miles). Arizona are suspended for the time being, Juliussen agreed that “AVs are more needed
Juliussen has compiled a table listing five including our service with trained drivers and now than before” but added a caveat: “Many
key AV software platforms in the United States, our fully driverless service within the early of the AV participants will not have the
providing the scope of each AV software plat- rider program.” financial resources to continue at earlier
form project, the targeted AV use cases, and But Waymo added, “While our service investment levels. The major high-tech com-
the test areas (Figure 3). Most of these com- remains suspended, Arizonans will begin to panies can do so — Google, Intel, and some
panies appear to claim that their AV software see some Waymo vehicles back on the road Chinese companies. [But] most auto OEMs
platforms will be L4-ready between 2021 and starting May 11. This is the first part of our have to make some choices, such as investing
2022. The exception is Waymo, which last fall tiered approach to resume our operations in battery electric vehicles or AVs, and they
announced the launch of “completely driver- safely, beginning with our test fleet and will likely cut some in each segment until
less Waymo cars” in certain areas of Arizona. responsibly progressing to serve Waymo One auto sales get closer to normal.”
The number of AVs currently deployed by riders again.” He added, “From a strategic viewpoint,
each AV platform developer varies. Waymo The full implications of the pandemic battery EVs may be more important than
has the highest in numbers (800+ in use), with aren’t yet known, but it’s certain to have AVs unless they want to give Tesla too much
Aptiv at 120+ and Aurora at 50+. some effect on the progress of AV software market share.” ■
In the Covid-19 era, however, all test platform development. For now, as reported
driving on real streets in America has hit the by Axios, the AV industry’s take is that “this Junko Yoshida is global co-editor-in-chief at
brakes. pandemic, if anything, has shown the demand AspenCore.

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
AV Safety: Come Together, Right Now

By Junko Yoshida

ow many safety standards does it take to screw in a light bulb
in a highly automated vehicle? A few years ago, automotive
market novices would have said, “None.” These days, the
Hnumber seems to keep increasing as the industry finally
comes to grips with the technical challenges of producing demonstra-
bly safe autonomous vehicles.
Driven by the winner-takes-all internet platform business model,
autonomous-vehicle zealots had been racing to develop the industry’s
first robocar. Their goal was simple: Dominate the AV platform so
completely that everyone else in the industry would be forced to follow
and license.
Fast forward to 2020. The go-it-
alone, my-way-or-the-highway
approach is driving on fumes. In
contrast to a few years ago, leading
automotive OEMs, Tier Ones, and tech
suppliers including chip vendors are
more engaged in forming
industry-wide coalitions to develop AV
standards that have safety consider-
ations at their core. The industry achieved Level 2/Level 2+ autonomy so quickly that it
TTTech’s Stefan Poledna Close to 10 industry initiatives are in vastly underestimated how much more difficult it would be to take the
the works, seeking to address differ- next leap. It has finally dawned on the AV industry that developing a
ent aspects of AV safety. Prominent among them are the established safety-related computing system for Level 3–5 autonomy is “a grand
ISO 26262 and ISO/PAS 21448 “Safety of the Intended Functionality” challenge that shouldn’t be addressed by a single player but in an
(SOTIF) and the newly published UL 4600. ecosystem,” said Poledna.
When an L3, L4, or L5 vehicle goes the wrong way on a one-way
So does this mean the automotive industry is finally coming street, it’s no longer the driver who’s responsible — it’s the carmaker.
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK industry. When it comes to safety standards, of course, “everyone has “That’s a big deal,” said Poledna, trumpeting the obvious.
together? Perhaps.
Collaboration has been an alien concept for participants in the auto
NEW ISO STANDARD ON HORIZON
different opinions,” said Stefan Poledna, CTO of TTTech Auto, in a
Remember “Safety First for Automated Driving” (SaFAD)? That white
recent interview with EE Times Europe. But a certain measure of coop-
paper, published last July by 11 industry leaders (Aptiv, Audi, Baidu,
eration now “is the general direction.”
What changed?
BMW, Continental, Daimler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, HERE, Infineon,
www.eetimes.eu | JUNE 2020