Self-driving cars seem like a promise that is here, almost here, and not coming for years all the same time. Those statements are all true because there are different “levels” of autonomy. Here’s what those levels mean.
The NHTSA Created the Levels for Clarity
If it seems like you’ve been told that cars can already self-drive and that cars can’t self-drive, you’ve heard it essentially right both ways. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines six levels of car autonomy. They released this guidance to both push forward and standardize autonomous vehicle testing.
Self-driving cars could potentially save many lives, but not having a common goal and agreed-upon rules against which to test could wipe out any potential gains. Much like it’s easier to know what to expect when you eventually buy a router that conforms to the Wi-Fi 6 standard, it’s easier to know what to expect when you someday buy a car that meets a self-driving level.
The NHTSA breaks down Self-Driving cars into six categories, starting with Level 0.
Level 0: No Automation
A Level 0 car has no self-driving capabilities at all. The human does all the driving at all times. Basically, a Level 0 car isn’t self-driving at all. Model T’s were Level 0 cars, if you were born in the ’80s most likely so was your first car. Realistically, until recently, most vehicles were Level 0.
Most used vehicles on the market are still Level 0 today, from your 2007 Ford Focus to your 2010 Toyota Prius.
Level 1: Driver Assistance
A Level 1 vehicle can assist with either steering or braking, but not both at the same time. Adaptive cruise control (ACC) falls into this category, as it handles just braking (to keep a specified distance from the car in front of you), but not steering.
Quite a few cars already have this technology. The 2011 Jeep Cherokee had ACC, Chevrolet introduced several models in 2015, and Ford debuted the first pickup truck (an F150) to include ACC just a few years ago.
Level 2: Partial Automation
A Level 2 vehicle can assist with both steering and braking at the same time. They still require full driver attention, and you must be ready to take over at any time. If you combine adaptive cruise control from our explanation of Level 1 cars with lane centering (which steers your car into the center of the lane), then you have met the definition of Level 2.
Read the remaining 14 paragraphs
Source : What Are the Different Self-Driving Car “Levels” of Autonomy?
