Jason Ford, news editor
Cenex’s low carbon vehicle showcase is set for its 10th outing this week with LCV2017 opening its doors at Millbrook, Bedfordshire on September 6&7.
Encompassing a technology exhibition, numerous ride and drive opportunities, and a comprehensive seminar programme, LCV2017 is designed to provide a technology showcase and increase organisations’ awareness and confidence in low carbon solutions for their vehicles and fleet operations.
Confirmed exhibitors include the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), a joint BEIS/DfT policy unit that will be showcasing some of the connected and autonomous vehicle (CAVs) technologies currently in development. These include the £8m GATEway (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) project and DRIVEN, a consortium set to deploy a fleet of autonomous vehicles in urban areas and on motorways, culminating in multiple end-to-end journeys between London and Oxford. Led by Oxbotica and funded by InnovateUK and industry, the project’s fleet will run at Level 4 autonomy, performing all safety-critical driving functions with zero-passenger occupancy.
On August 25, 2017 The Engineer reported on the announcement from DfT that 2018 will see the start of road trials of self-driving lorry platoons. Led by the Transport Research Laboratory, the trials will see two or more vehicles connected with ‘vehicle to-vehicle communication’, allowing them to effectively communicate with each other and operate as a single unit.
Earlier in the summer, The Engineer looked at how groceries were being delivered as part of the GATEway project, and more recently Chris Pickering examined the ways in which advances in artificial intelligence could help bring about truly autonomous vehicles.
This author’s view on vehicle autonomy hasn’t moved on much since October 2015 but some interesting stats from a recent survey indicate that the public might finally be warming to autonomous vehicles, albeit with caveats that should provoke further debate on what we want from this burgeoning technology.
IMechE conducted a poll 2,053 members of the public regarding driverless cars and found that 66 per cent would be uncomfortable travelling in a driverless car at 70mph, which is a marked change from an ICM survey in 2014 that found 56 per cent of respondents reluctant to relinquish the controls of their car, compared to just 20 per cent of those who would.
IMechE’s latest survey found also that 45 per cent of 25-36 year olds would be comfortable in a 70mph driverless car, compared to 13 per cent for 65-74 year olds and 8 per cent for the over 75s. According to IMechE, women tended to be more cautious about the technology, with 72 per cent saying they would be uncomfortable compared to 60 per cent for men. Despite 90 per cent of UK road accidents being caused by driver error, 50 per cent of those surveyed think humans are better drivers than computers/cars.
There are those who argue that vehicle autonomy can help give back independence to those no longer able to drive, but the survey points to a reluctance from the public to allow people who are sight-impaired to be the sole occupant of a driverless car. Less than a quarter (23 per cent) thought this an acceptable use of a driverless car, and just over a tenth (12 per cent) agreed that an intoxicated person could be responsible for a driverless car.
In the space of a few years we’ve moved from not trusting driverless to being wary of travelling at speed in such vehicles, which is a move forward to acceptance but questions remain over autonomy’s utility. During a journey, are we to remain alert and sober in order to take control of the vehicle if the need arises? If so, shouldn’t we just persist with driving manually, albeit in a more controlled, considerate and safe way? Or do we want to step into a vehicle that assumes full control of our safety and lets us work – for example – on our way to the office? The car that takes you home after an evening in the pub, or a car that liberates the elderly and less able must surely the aim of OEMs, but that’s assuming persistent questions of liability can be resolved.
What do you think? Let us know in Comments below.
The persistent questions of trust and liability are impossible to resolve. Hijacking will be as easy for hackers as over-riding diesel emissions reduction tech was for the VW group and others. How long has satnav been around? If an alleged terrorist Uber driver who thought he was heading for Windsor Castle in Berkshire could end up by the Windsor Castle pub near Buckingham Palace, anything is possible!
http://www.imeche.org Feb16 Making all vehicles autonomous could prevent up to 95% – The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could bring billions of pounds to the UK economy and save hundreds of lives :: enough said on pollsters impartiality! Precautionary prevarication will double delays during dense periods already driving commuters crazy especially evermore compounded by motorway madagement & coning contrived to suppress speed but then masked motive was always naztinomic nudgery from road to rail!
Don’t mean to be a party pooper but, if it ever happens, isn’t it going to be at least 50 years off? There are so many barriers to overcome, not least the current technology which may well be able to control a vehicle under perfect circumstances but can be interfered with so easily. Also the poor attendants in autonomous articles always seem worried.
It’s generally human interference that is the root cause of problems with automated machinery.
The docklands light railway is a good example of vehicles operating without a driver. Like most things it will take time to implement. I followed the progress of the machine tool industry from the introduction of N.C. through to C.N.C. and all the adverse comments that were made, now they are considered the norm. I think in time autonomous vehicles also will be the norm.
By the time autonomous vehicles become available I suspect I will be long gone ! At 83 I am well aware that my driving future is limited. Driverless technology could extend my independence so I am keen to see it develope. We must not let the Luddites delay technology as they have nuclear power and fracking. If those who are tasked with the research are quite sure it is safe then let us try it. The current situation is certainly not as good as it should be : did you see the photograph in today’s paper of a hole in a house wall created by a manually driven car ?
Roll on total autonomy. Get the human factor out of it and liberate transport for thousands that are currently impaired. I see nothing but good coming from autonomy. As soon as it is affordable, it will be with us.
How about all of the drivers made redundant, repair shops closing, insurance company layoffs?
Autonomous vehicles are a complete waste of time and resources and will not happen. If a pedestrian knows a vehicle cannot hit them they will walk in front with impunity. How many jobs will vanish? taxi drivers, lorry drivers, delivery drivers. What happens when a motorcycle or cyclist passes a vehicle in traffic then pulls into the gap in front? The vehicle brakes, the car driver YET again hits the horn and gets frustrated and accidents happen.
Spend the money on better driver training, especially how to leave and enter motorways, better thinner cars that do not take up the full width of a carriageway thus leaving room for more vehicles side by side and traffic to flow.
Autonomous and electric vehicles are only around to break the current vehicle manufacturers monopoly and let google, apple and all the awful large US tech companies cash in and change the world to their thinking and their immense profits.
Tyres give off more particulate debris than petrol engines and has anybody EVER had cause of death put down as being due to vehicle pollution?
I’m 67 years old and ANXIOUS to be a test driver. My next car will be AUTONOMOUS or I will not buy it. Any interest let me know at glenn@gcthomas”dot”com. Retired in San Diego, CA.
We must not let the Luddites delay technology
These folk tried to stop the advance of technology, mustly related to mechanisms and power because they believed it was taking away the only thing at the time they had: the opportunity to earn a living by physical labour! Interestingly, a few days ago I visited the ancestral home of the Heathcoat Amery family -it’s in Tiverton, Devon, UK: who were definitely Mr Bigs in textile processing in the early 1800s. They moved from Nottingham to the S West because of the Luddites: perhaps believing that former farming stock were less aggressive.
I would suggest that we are passing into the realms of New-Luddites. Management Luddites, who are just as concerned about a future that does not include their continued mental control!
The biggest barrier to autonomous vehicles are the Yanks… They want to know who to sue if there’s an accident – car owner, car manufacturer, software developer, sat-nav provider etc. Once that’s all sorted out there’ll be no stopping them!