Automated vehicles
Present situation worldwide and in Switzerland
Automated – or largely assisted – mobility is a key technological topic; as part of the digital transformation, it impacts many areas. Already today, vehicles with ever more high-performing driving assistance features are technologically capable of self-executing specific driving tasks (level 3 of SAE International’s J3016 standard). The next stage is high automation, in which the vehicle drives autonomously from A to B while still equipped with pedals and a steering wheel (level 4 of SAE J3016). Significant further progress is still needed on both the technical and the legislative fronts for fully automated vehicles without wheel and pedals (level 5 of SAE J3016) that are not limited to driving on defined routes or circumscribed road networks; they shall therefore be given no further consideration in this context.
The path to level 4 and the initial deployment of such vehicles are already causing controversy. Rather than slow and steady progress, “quantum leaps” may take place in the foreseeable future, probably with the groundbreaking deployment of truck and taxi fleets. The development of vehicles with unlimited driving range should not be confused with the deployment of autonomous taxis and busses in peripheral zones and other limited urban areas. In Switzerland, small shuttle busses are already operating in pilot mode at low levels of complexity, i.e. on pre-practised routes and road networks, in Sion, Fribourg and Neuhausen, with other cities to follow. In Singapore, an entire fleet of autonomous taxis was launched. In California, Waymo was the first to obtain permission to operate driverless taxis. These pilot projects are much less demanding in terms of environmental perception, interpretation and decision-making capacities than level 4 vehicles for extensive and general use.
The trend toward automated mobility is of great significance, last but not least owing to the (at times unrealistically) high expectations it carries, such as improved road and vehicle utilisation rates, facilitation of new mobility concepts and business models, cost reductions especially in the field of logistics, new mobility services for the young and old, as well as time gains made possible by the elimination of bothersome driving tasks. Yet fear and scepticism are also rife, making the technology vulnerable in terms of public and political acceptance. Issues being raised include the following: the reliability and validation of computer-controlled systems, the protection of huge volumes of accruing data, controllability, liability, and licensing practice. Software that together with sensors and other hardware (e.g. new micro-chips) renders drivers largely superfluous is already at development and testing stage. This includes necessary algorithms for machine learning and pattern recognition, i.e. artificial intelligence. Successful rollout would require an optimisation of the overall system and its integration in wider mobility concepts, e.g. weighing up cost minimisation and safety when it came to sensors. The parallel deployment of human-driven and automated vehicles (“mixed traffic”) raises issues that need to be addressed, last but not least via licensing.
Implications for Switzerland
Automated systems are an R&D focus at the EPFL and the ETH Zurich, at various universities of applied sciences and at leading car manufacturers and large systems suppliers. Increasingly, many innovative SMEs are also getting involved. As a highly developed country with high traffic density, Switzerland stands to benefit from automated/ autonomous transportation systems for goods and passengers. The country is well positioned to take an active part in testing and implementing such systems. Even though Switzerland has no automotive industry, the expertise and track record of its automotive supply industry, large companies (logistics, goods and passenger transportation, insurance) and SMEs (sensor technology, system and software development) create new business opportunities.