Explaining the improved safety and economic benefits of introducing autonomous driving- Smart City/Mobility -Macnica

Both in Japan and overseas, demonstration experiments of autonomous driving are being conducted in various business categories. As these are being carried out as joint public-private initiatives, an increasing number of local governments are introducing autonomous driving on a full scale.

Here we will once again explain what autonomous driving is.Looking BackThis seminar will explain the benefits of introducing autonomous driving from the perspectives of safety, improved transportation efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and economic benefits.

The Basics of autonomous driving

autonomous driving has been fully introduced in various business types. If we include demonstration experiments that assume the introduction, the number is quite large. In terms of a specific industry, for example, thereare cases where local governments introduce autonomous driving buses to depopulated areas where sufficient publictransportation servicesare not in place.

According to documents from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, autonomous driving is defined as "a system, not a driver, that performs all of the cognition, judgment and operation related to driving operations, and drives the vehicle automatically." The levels of autonomous driving will be discussed later, but autonomous driving capable of autonomous driving refers to vehicles at level 3 or above.

In the first place, autonomous driving is possible when a computer replaces the "cognition," "judgment," and "control (operation)" that humans perform while driving.

"Cognition" involves various sensors installed in the vehicle detecting whether autonomous drivingis being carried outcorrectly andsafely, while also detecting the environmentaround the vehicle, such as pedestrians and road signs, and confirming the information necessaryforthe AI, which acts as the vehicle's brain, to issue control commands to the vehicle via electrical signals.

In the "judgment" stage, AI technology is used to decidelane selection,steeringcontrol, andacceleration/deceleration. The ability to make decisions flexibly, quickly, and safelyaccording to road conditionsis essential.

In the "control (operation)" stage, the steering, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, etc. are controlled according to the judgments made by the AI. The electrical signals generated by the AI are sent to actuators that convert them into mechanical movements, thereby controlling the vehicle.

level of autonomous driving

In Japan, autonomous driving is divided into six levels, from level 0 to level 5, depending on who is responsible for the driving task and the driving area.Japan has adopted the regulations established by the American non-profit organization "SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)."

Regarding the classification of autonomous driving levels (Source:Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism "Regarding the classification of autonomous driving levels")

As mentioned above, vehicles with level 3 or higher qualify as autonomous driving, but only a few level 3-compatible commercial vehicles have been sold to date, such as the Audi R8 released in 2016 and the Honda Legend released in preparation for the Olympics in 2020, and there are no commercial vehicles equipped with a level 4 autonomous driving system (as of September 2023). The reality is that it will take some time before commercial vehicles can achieve level 3 or higher.

Benefits of Introducing autonomous driving

Source:Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism "Efforts toward practical use of autonomous driving "

The introduction of autonomous driving has many benefits, including improved safety through compliance with traffic rules,moreefficient transportation, reduced environmental impact, andeconomic benefits. From here on, we will explaineach of these benefits in detail.

Reducing and preventing traffic accidents

It is expected that the spread of autonomous driving will lead to a decrease in traffic accidents. In addition, it will also lead to "accident prevention," which can prevent traffic accidents from occurring in the first place.

According to the National Police Agency, the number of people injured in traffic accidents in 2023 was 27,636. Since statistics began being collected in 1948, the highest number of injuries was 1,183,617 in 2004. This is a significant decrease from then, but it is still not low. The causes of traffic accidents include improper driving, distracted driving, ignoring traffic signals, and failure to stop. In order to reduce fatalities and injuries from traffic accidents, it is necessary to thoroughly reduce violations and human errors while driving. This is where autonomous driving can make a major contribution.

Heinrich's Law is one of the empirical rules for traffic accidents and industrial accidents. When one serious traffic accident occurs, such as a fatality or serious injury, there are 29 minor accidents (such as property damage accidents that do not result in death) behind it, and behind those are as many as 300 near misses (situations that are just one step away from a traffic accident), and behind those near misses are countless traffic violations.

In order to reducetraffic fatalitiesand serious injuries, it is important to prevent as many traffic violations as possible, which are said to be countless. If autonomous driving becomes widespread and all vehicles on the road are autonomous driving at level 4, "driver violations" will be less likely to occur within certain areas. Naturally, wecan expectasignificantreductionin the number of fatalities, serious injuries, andother injuries from traffic accidents.

Improving transport efficiency and public transport

nextexpected benefitThe isthe alleviation of traffic congestionand the improvement of traffic convenience.The main causes of traffic congestion are short distances between vehicles and extreme and frequent acceleration and deceleration. It is often said that traffic congestion occurs near the entrances and exits of highways and tunnels that are on gentle uphill slopes.

If autonomous driving becomes widespread, it is expected that even in such situations, a certain distance will be maintained while acceleration and deceleration will be reduced, thereby reducing the occurrence of traffic congestion.

Also, public transportis not in place enoughIn the region, public buses and taxis are commonly used, but autonomous driving aging of drivers is making it difficult to continue providing these services.At leastThe driver shortage problemEliminatePublic transport servicesofcontinuationConvenienceImprovementThis increases the likelihood of.

autonomous driving reduces environmental impact

autonomous drivingteeth,Smooth and efficientRunningIt is possiblethe law of nature,Emissions reductionbutExpecteddo.EVs and hydrogen carsin the first placeThere is no need to worry about exhaust gas, but in the case of gasoline vehicles,Improve fuel economyIt is possibleThere are benefits.

Of course, in the futureautonomous driving possibleEV and hydrogen vehiclesSpreadtooAlthough expected,Sales of gasoline-powered vehicles will completely endIt is not expected thatConsidering this, the gasoline vehicles that will be released in the futuretooautonomous drivingtocorrespondenceGo ahead.RBa,Environmental impactbutBecome lessIt's an advantage.

Particularly in metropolitan areas, improvements in air quality and mitigation of climate change are expected, which will have a positive impact on a wide range of environmental conservation activities.This will be the case.

autonomous driving is essential to realizing smart cities

The spread of autonomous driving will create new business opportunities not only in vehicles, but also in the infrastructure and services that support them. For example, a wide range of new markets will emerge, including autonomous driving taxis and delivery services, remote vehicle monitoring and management services, and transportation system optimization solutions. These new services are expected to create new jobs in a variety of fields, includingIT, communications, logistics,tourism, healthcare,sports, advertising, theme parks,and entertainment, and contribute greatly to economic growth.

By making full use of digital technologyto optimizethe operations of urban infrastructure and public facilities, convenience for the people who live and work there will be greatly improved. Autonomous driving is becomingautonomous driving inrealizingsuch smart cities.

Examples of autonomous driving system implementation in Japan and overseas

Hitachiota's autonomous driving buses in regular operation

autonomous driving Demonstration tests for Level 4 have been conducted on public roads as well as in some areas such as airports where practicality is high.

Demonstration tests were conducted at Haneda Airport in February 2021 and at Narita Airport in February 2022. Japan's first Level 4 autonomous driving vehicle will begin operation on public roads in Eiheiji Town, Fukui Prefecture in May 2023. Additionally, regular operation of an autonomous driving EV bus circulating around the city center of Hitachiota City will begin in March 2024.

Additionally, demonstration experiments and implementation cases of Level 4 autonomous driving have been announced overseas as well.
In Beijing, China, internet giant Baidu will begin operating self-driving taxis in March 2023, and in San Francisco, USA, Waymo and GM Cruise will begin operating autonomous driving taxis in June 2022.

There are also many overseas examples in logistics services. InDecember 2021,PONY.AI, a developer of autonomous driving technology, conducted the first demonstration experiment in China of a truck equipped with a level 4 autonomous driving system. In December 2019, in the United States, PLUS.AI, a developer of autonomous driving truck technology, conducted a demonstration experiment of commercial transportation equivalent to level 4 autonomous driving over a long distance of 4,500 km.

Looking at these examples, you can see that autonomous driving is moving forward toward practical application and is very much a part of our everyday lives.

Summary

The introduction of autonomous driving is expected to improve safety by reducing traffic accidents, save time and fuel by eliminating traffic congestion, and promote economic growth by creating new business models and job opportunities. These benefits are sure to improve the quality of life throughout society, reduce environmental impact, and support sustainable development through technological innovation.

It will be necessary to continue to pay attention to technological advances in autonomous driving and actual implementation cases.

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