‘Hands-free’: automakers race to the next level of non-autonomous cars

DETROIT (Reuters) – Autopilot, ProPilot, CoPilot: Carmakers have many names for new systems that enable hands-free driving, but there are no safety or performance standards to follow as they implement the most significant changes in technology of the vehicle in one generation.

Stimulated by Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) Successful and eager to start benefiting from billions spent on autonomous driving research, automakers are speeding up plans to automate routine driving tasks, such as navigating a highway and making them widely available within five years, Industry executives said.

Most traditional automakers until recently have been reluctant to allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel for long periods, concerned about product liability claims. Now hands-free driving systems offer a new and much-needed source of profit for car manufacturers and suppliers like Aptiv Plc (APTV.N), especially when this technology is packaged with other additional cost options.

“Consumers are willing to pay more, sometimes a lot of money, for advanced technology and convenience-oriented features rather than focusing strictly on safety,” said IHS chief analyst Jeremy Carlson.

To address liability concerns, some automakers are installing cameras inside vehicles, along with warning systems, to ensure drivers are vigilant and ready to take manual control when necessary.

Critics claim that technology to automate highway driving, parking, and navigation in intermittent traffic is being implemented in a regulatory vacuum where the absence of industry-wide standards and common terminology creates confusion about what systems can do. in a safe way.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in a written response to Reuters, said it is still conducting research and collecting data on hands-free technologies, which it said “are not mature enough” to require formal federal standards.

Former NHTSA chief Mark Rosekind said the industry may need to further develop the technology before federal mandates are needed, but agreed that things are confusing for consumers.

“If people don’t know what they have and how it really works, that’s a security issue,” added Rosekind, who is director of security innovation at autonomous startup Zoox, which is being acquired by Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O)

Jason Levine, head of the advocacy group for the Center for Automotive Safety, said NHTSA should develop minimum performance standards. “Even if consumers know what the function is supposed to do, there is no standard to make sure it even works as advertised,” he said.

The Tesla autopilot, one of the industry’s first semi-automated driving systems, has come under fire from the National Transportation Safety Board for allowing drivers to divert their attention from the road and lead to fatal accidents. NHTSA has investigated 15 accidents since 2016 involving Tesla vehicles equipped with autopilot.

The autopilot was initially promoted as “hands-free,” but Tesla quickly changed that position and now insists that drivers must keep their hands on the wheel when the autopilot is deployed. On Tuesday, a German court banned Tesla from repeating misleading claims in advertising about its driver assistance systems, including that its vehicles were capable of autonomous driving.

In the absence of regulations or standards, a group that includes JD Power, Consumer Reports and AAA is trying to convince automakers to accept the standard terminology and definitions, an initiative that has been endorsed by the Department of Transportation of the USA and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

But even major industry research groups disagree with the labels. Instead of “hands-free”, JD Power uses the term “active driving assistance”, while IHS Markit prefers “prolonged hands-free driving”.

Detroit automakers have been less aggressive than Tesla in labeling their semi-automated driving systems.

More and more consumers are buying or leasing new vehicles with advanced driving assistance systems, according to Kristin Kolodge of JD Power, which includes features such as automated lane maintenance (70% of new vehicles) and adaptive cruise control ( 77%), two key components of most hands-free driving systems.

Automakers say a broader deployment of auto-driving technology will lead to fewer accidents and lower auto insurance rates for consumers. Until now, insurance providers have been cautious, saying they need more data to demonstrate that technology reduces accident-related costs.

“We are looking at it from a security point of view. Do these technologies improve the safety of those on the road? Said David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Road Safety, a research arm of the insurance industry.