What are the 5 Levels of Autonomous Driving?
The march towards self-driving cars is unfolding according to this model.
August 23, 2016
![The march towards self-driving cars may already be underway The march towards self-driving cars may already be underway](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt31d6b0704ba96e9d/bltb0733efb24173916/63abe9148f76884f99895e4d/infographic-self-driving-4.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Brian Buntz / Penton
In the first level, all driving functions must be controlled exclusively by a human at all times.
At this stage, the driver must continuously monitor all aspects of driving, even though some functions may be automated. Cruise control and ABS are examples of Level 1 functionality.
In Level 2, at least two primary control functions are automated—for instance cruise control matched with lane centering. A human must be present at all times. Telsa’s Autopilot function is an example of this stage.
At this stage, the driver can turn over saftey-critical functions in defined use cases. Examples: Google’s self-driving car and Uber’s self-driving cars in Pittsburgh that still require the presence a “safety driver.”
Level 4 cars have no need for a steering wheel or brake / acceleration pedals. Level 4-cars are constrained, however, to known geographical zones. Ford plans to debut cars at this level by 2021 for ride-hailing applications. Mobileye and Delphi hope to reach this level by 2019.
This stage is an extension of the previous level. The fifth level of autonomous driving could transport you anywhere with an accessible road. Whereas the previous level was still self-driving, it was constrained to defined zones. This level removes those constraints.
This stage is an extension of the previous level. The fifth level of autonomous driving could transport you anywhere with an accessible road. Whereas the previous level was still self-driving, it was constrained to defined zones. This level removes those constraints.
Autonomous driving is not to an all-or-nothing affair. But in reality, automation of driving functions has a long history that has been steadily expanding for decades. The use of speed control with a centrifugal governor dates back to the 1900s and 1910s, while modern cruise control was invented in 1948. Anti-lock brakes were first used for aircraft in 1929. The growing use of automation of driving functions is also apparent in newer features like intelligent parking assist and lane keeping assist systems.
Here, we take a look at the growing use of automation and present a model that captures the transition to truly self-driving cars based on work by the U.S. government and SAE International.
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