The international Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) coined the concept of "autonomy levels" in 2014 and is recognised as an authoritative source on the subject. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) abandoned its own classification system in favour of the SAE standard in 2016.
The SAE's J3016: Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to On-Road Motor Vehicle Automated Driving Systems provides a common taxonomy and definitions for automated driving in order to simplify communication and facilitate collaboration within technical and policy domains.
A key distinction is between Level 2, where the human driver performs part of the dynamic driving task, and Level 3, where the automated driving system performs the entire dynamic driving task.
These levels are descriptive rather than normative and technical rather than legal. They imply no particular order of market introduction.
The J3016 standard delivers a harmonised classification system and supporting definitions that:
> Identify six levels of driving automation from “no automation” to “full automation”.
> Base definitions and levels on functional aspects of technology.
> Describe categorical distinctions for a step-wise progression through the levels.
> Are consistent with current industry practice.
> Eliminate confusion and are useful across numerous disciplines (engineering, legal, media, and
public discourse).
> Educate a wider community by clarifying for each level what role (if any) drivers have in performing the dynamic driving task while a driving automation system is engaged.
VIEW: The chart below simplified in 2018
British automotive research centre Thatcham Research predicts that cars with Level 5 autonomy would show up by 2025. By then, it is envisaged that the car will be able to drive itself, fully hands free from door to door. This will include the whole range of typical driving environments in cities and in urban environments as well as main arterial routes and with the ability to negotiate traffic lights, junctions and roundabouts, where the road infrastructure permits.
