While the stuff of sci-fi may quickly become reality, there are many regulatory hurdles and realistic unknowns to overcome. The biggest obstacle to self-driving cars is that there aren't really any that the consumer can buy. No matter how much automakers and automakers tout their self-driving plans, most notably and controversially Tesla and its false “Full Self-Driving” name, no car on the road today meets the criteria of being a self-driving car.
However, many are trying.
What are the standards for autonomous and self-driving cars?
In 2014 the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) identified six levels of autonomous driving, from Level 0 to Level 5 fully self-driving cars. In 2021, it updated its methods and will probably do it again soon. We will follow.
Before we list the levels, it's important to note that most new cars sold today have advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), ranging from automatic emergency braking for pedestrians to adaptive cruise control. By the end of 2023, more than 95% of new cars sold will have automatic emergency braking, which detects an impact and uses an antilock braking system to slow down or stop the car from stopping another car or pedestrian.
Safety agencies such as the IIHS estimate that the technology prevents 42,000 crashes and 20,000 injuries each year. Such technologies are called driver support systems, not semi-autonomous drive features. But so is the more common and older technology that started with the 1958 Chrysler Imperial. It was also called “auto-pilot,” so Chrysler beat you to it, Tesla. Yes, we know it now as cruise control.
Here is a summary of what the different levels mean.
SAE levels of automated driving, from partial to fully autonomous
Level 0: No automatic driving
“These features are limited to providing temporary alerts and assistance,” SAE said. Drivers are responsible for controlling the steering wheel, throttle, and brakes, as well as monitoring their surroundings.
Automatic emergency brakingblind-spot monitors, lane-departure warnings, and old-school cruise control are considered Level 0.
Level 1: Some driving support
“These features provide steering or braking/acceleration support to the driver,” SAE said. These systems give a hand for a short time when called upon, but the driver is still in full control of the vehicle, even when the systems are active.
These features include active lane control which moves the steering wheel to stay focused on the lane and adaptive cruise control which is a step up from cruise control. It monitors the vehicle in front and maintains a preset gap selected by the driver, and can brake or accelerate accordingly. Car manufacturers usually set the shortest gap to be at least four car lengths, while the longest gap can be eight car lengths. Drivers choose the length of the gap based on their comfort level.
2023 Chevrolet Suburban with Super Cruise
Level 2: Integrated drive support
The difference here between Level 1 is that these vehicles can provide both steering support and active braking or acceleration at the same time.
It varies by vehicle equipment, and for years safety organizations and the National Safety Council and Consumer Reports have urged automakers and regulators to target many different brand names to these systems so consumers know the system's capabilities. Automakers include several features under the umbrella of active driver assistance systems, such as Nissan's ProPilot Assist 2.0, Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, Hyundai's Highway Driving Assist 2, and more advanced systems such as Ford's BlueCruise and GM's Super Cruise, in our testing of the safest and most advanced hands-free driving system. until now.
Hardware and software reads road signs, senses traffic, and simultaneously maintains lane position and distance from the lead vehicle. It's perfect for long hours on the highway, and most systems require the driver to touch or tap the steering wheel at intervals from 20 seconds to several minutes as long as conditions are met and the driver is paying attention to the road. Safety agencies recommend that all ADAS have pilot-monitor camera to ensure compliance with the law.
These systems cannot perform certain tasks, such as merging the highway or navigating stop-and-go traffic.
Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot Level 3 is a self-driving program
Level 3: Jumping into conditional self-control
“These features can drive the vehicle under limited conditions and will not operate unless all required conditions are met,” SAE's Level 3 and Level 4 standards say.
Especially in Level 3, when the feature asks for human intervention, you must comply or the car will pull itself over, disable it, and call the emergency services.
Only one automaker today has a system that qualifies as Level 3, although Super Cruise is close. Mercedes-Benz's Drive Pilot Level 3 enables hands-free driving on select highways in California and Nevada at speeds up to 40 mph, though a 55-mph capability still awaits approval.
Drive Pilot allows for short periods of self-driving without driver supervision so that in theory they can check emails or texts (if it's illegal) or watch media on the car's browser and touchscreen. It is currently intended as a road break, and can stop and go without driver intervention as traffic allows. It can't change lanes, won't work on construction sites or when emergency vehicles are detected, and requires a lead vehicle.
Either way, the driver must be ready to take control.
Mobileye self-driving prototype
Level 4: Almost independent.
Unlike Level 3, “these automated driving features will not require you to take control of the vehicle,” SAE explains. Level 4 vehicles can stop themselves without human intervention in the event of a technical problem.
GM, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and dozens of other automakers already have Level 2 and Level 3 safety systems in place if the operator becomes incapacitated. So Level 4 may not be far away. Can you drive a Level 4 car if you want? That's a big question.
Automakers have pointed out that combining self-driving equipment with driver-controlled equipment (steering wheel, gas pedal, brake pedal) is obsolete and expensive. In addition to Polestar, the Volkswagen Group has partnered with Mobileye to develop a Level 4 system that uses various software and hardware components, including two high-performance personal computers and 13 cameras, nine lidar units, and five radar sensors. It plans to use it in VW ID.Buzz robotaxis in early 2026 in Germany and Texas. A person will still sit in the driver's seat.
Waymo's Hyundai Ioniq 5 self-driving taxi
Level 5: Fully autonomous robotaxis
The totality of self-driving cars takes the driver out of the equation entirely. It can get from point A to point B entirely on its own hardware and software, and machine learning is being used to make cabs eventually smarter and better than driving humans. That doesn't seem too difficult depending on how many drivers have their noses plugged into their phones.
We still have an advantage over machines, though. Getting cars to learn roads without clear lines, in bad weather, or in changing conditions is a huge task in terms of sensors, computing power, and cost. There are also variables that no amount of programming or machine learning can handle.
In July, GM canceled Origin of Cruise a robot service that has logged many miles on any robot service however in limited public trials in Phoenix and San Francisco. GM has revealed the regulatory uncertainty surrounding us, after it was suspended for a year following a pedestrian crash in October 2023. The pedestrian was hit by another vehicle in the traffic light, which hit the pedestrian and dragged them 20 meters in. pulling effort. The driver of the non-Cruise vehicle fled the scene. Some estimates suggest that GM has invested $9 billion in the already parked system.
Other transportation companies such as Tesla, Rimac, VW, Hyundai, and Waymo for Alphabet Inccurrently the most advanced system, they drive forward, without human drivers.