- Smart City/Mobility HOME
- Search by use case
-
Search by product/service
- event·
seminar - Column
- Inquiry
In recent years, various automobile manufacturers and related companies have cooperated to develop autonomous driving technology around the world. In the past, passenger cars with level 3 autonomous driving such as Honda's Legend have been released, but as of September 2023, there are still no passenger cars equipped with level 4 autonomous driving systems.
However, if you look around the world, practical use has begun in some areas, such as level 4 autonomous driving taxis operating in limited areas.
In this article, we will focus on Level 4 autonomous driving and explain things such as ``What is Level 4 autonomous driving?'' ``When will it be put into practical use?'' and ``What can Level 4 autonomous driving and its benefits?''
If you have questions such as ``What is autonomous driving?'' or ``What are the levels of autonomous driving?'', we recommend reading the article below first.
What is autonomous driving level 4? Explaining the definition in Japan
autonomous driving Level 4 is also known as ``Advanced Driving Automation,'' and is defined by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as ``the system performs all dynamic driving tasks and responds to cases where continued operation is difficult in limited areas.'' has been done.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's definition of Level 4 autonomous driving is an easy-to-understand translation based on the standards defined by the American Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
When will Level 4 autonomous driving be put into practical use, and when will it be lifted?
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism released a document in May 2023 entitled "Initiatives to Realize autonomous driving," which states that the target date for achieving Level 4 autonomous driving is 2025 for mobile services and commercial vehicles driving on expressways. I'm aiming for it.
As for when the ban will be lifted, the Road Traffic Act will be revised in April 2023, and level 4 autonomous driving has already been lifted on public roads.
However, it is currently not possible to drive at Level 4 autonomous driving in all areas, and it is necessary to obtain approval from the Public Safety Commission that has jurisdiction over the area/region you wish to drive. Conditions for approval can be added depending on the public safety commission of the target area, so even though it is generally called Level 4, usability may vary depending on where it is used.
Regarding the establishment of a permit system related to specified automatic operation (Source: National Police Agency)
autonomous driving level 4 transportation services (buses and taxis) begin to be put into practical use on a trial basis
Level 4 autonomous driving is being put into practical use earlier in transportation services such as buses and taxis than in logistics services such as trucks and commercial vehicles.
In Japan, the first Level 4 autonomous driving driving service on public roads began in Eiheiji Town, Fukui Prefecture in May 2023.ARMA, for which Macnica is involved in providing vehicles and systems as well as maintenance, also began operating Level 4 autonomous driving within Haneda Innovation City in October 2023. The government is calling 2023 the "first year of autonomous driving implementation" as this is when areas where autonomous driving support will begin to expand.
In addition, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced on September 15, 2023, a plan to install Japan's first autonomous driving lanes on general roads as an initiative to further popularize Level 4 autonomous driving. The plan is to install autonomous driving buses in 2024 over a several kilometer stretch from JR Omika Station in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture to Hitachi's factory.
This road is said to be a road that can be used for test runs to accelerate development, but it can be said that progress is being made towards the practical application of driverless buses on public roads.
In addition, looking at autonomous driving level 4 transportation services overseas, unmanned taxis equipped with autonomous driving level 4 are already in test operation in Beijing, China, and San Francisco, theUnited States. is a little ahead of the curve.
autonomous driving level 4 logistics service (truck) plans to test drive on expressway
Trucks equipped with level 4 autonomous driving for logistics services have not yet been put into practical use in Japan, but the government has announced plans to prepare the infrastructure for future test runs on expressways.
In September 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced the ``2nd Digital Lifeline National Comprehensive Development Realization Conference'', which announced that in 2024, the Shin-Tomei Expressway between Suruga Bay Numazu SA and Hamamatsu SA and the 6-lane section of the Tohoku Expressway will be completed. A portion of the area will be set up as a test lane for autonomous driving.
In particular, the section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway between Suruga Bay Numazu SAandHamamatsu SAis over 100 kilometers long, and if it becomes a road for general vehicles, it could become the world's longest test lane.
Practical use of logistics services on expressways is being considered as a priority, with the government's goal set at 2025 or later.
There are no commercially available vehicles equipped with autonomous driving level 4 systems.
As of September 2023, there are still no commercially available vehicles equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving systems.
According to the document ``Public-Private ITS Concept/Roadmap'' published by the Digital Agency, private commercial vehicles will not be put into practical use on expressways until 2025.
Considering that autonomous driving lanes will be installed in some sections of the Shin-Tomei Expressway in 2024, it is possible that commercially available cars will also be able to autonomous driving on the same sections.
What you can do with autonomous driving level 4
autonomous driving Level 4 allows for complete autonomous driving in limited areas without driver intervention.
The system executes driving dynamic tasks in limited areas, which is the same as level 3 autonomous driving called "conditional driving automation," but starting at level 4 autonomous driving, the system will also handle cases where the system is difficult to operate. This is the difference from Level 3 autonomous driving.
Therefore, if level 4 autonomous driving is achieved, the things that can be done from level 3 autonomous driving will greatly increase.
For example, starting from Level 3 autonomous driving autonomous driving, the driver of a passenger car will be able to perform secondary tasks such as eating, operating a smartphone, watching videos, reading, etc. while driving autonomously in a limited area. However, unlike level 3 autonomous driving, where the driver must immediately return to driving in an emergency, level 4 autonomous driving allows the driver to be completely immersed in a second task.
In addition, mobile services will be able to operate as unmanned taxis in limited areas, and logistics services will be able to be transported by unmanned trucks.
Benefits of autonomous driving level 4
The benefits of the widespread use of Level 4 autonomous driving, which enables brain-off, are huge not only for drivers but also for society as a whole. According to documents from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the expected effects of autonomous driving include ``reducing traffic accidents,'' ``alleviating traffic congestion,'' ``maintaining local public transportation,'' ``responding to autonomous driving shortages,'' and ``alleviating traffic congestion.'' It is listed as a benefit.
Of course, autonomous driving also has benefits for drivers, such as making more effective use of driving time.
The benefits of each will be explained in detail in the article below.
Prevention and reduction of traffic accidents
The first expected benefit of the spread of autonomous driving is the prevention and reduction of traffic accidents.
According to materials released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2021, there were 2,636 people killed and injured in traffic accidents in 2021, and 362,131 people were injured. ``Violations of safe driving obligations'' such as distracted driving accounted for 53.6 % of the total. Adding in drunk driving, failure to stop, overtaking violations, etc., 95 % of fatal accidents are caused by driver violations.
If all cars were to reach level 4 autonomous driving, it would be less likely that drivers would commit violations in certain areas, which would reduce the number of fatal accidents.
Alleviation and control of traffic congestion
The next expected benefit is the alleviation and control of traffic congestion.
Congestion can be classified into three types: accident traffic congestion, construction traffic congestion, and natural traffic congestion. However, when it comes to the causes of traffic jams, all traffic jams are caused by inappropriate following distances and improper acceleration/deceleration.
Roads that are especially prone to natural traffic jams include uphill slopes, connections between expressways and local roads, and tunnels, which tend to cause drivers to unconsciously slow down.
However, as Level 4 autonomous driving becomes widespread, it will be possible to drive at a constant speed and maintain a stable distance between vehicles, even in areas where drivers have been unconsciously slowing down. Traffic congestion will not be alleviated if only one Level 4 autonomous driving vehicle is running, but if it is driven in groups, it can be expected to alleviate or control congestion.
As a supplementary explanation, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism 2015 Materials published in 2017 “Basic policy for “initiatives to use roads wisely” centered on expressways” According to the driver 1 Approximately per person per year 40 I've announced that I'm wasting my time. This survey 2012 As of the year, 2015 The total population of Japan in 2017 was approximately 1 hundred million 2700 Ten thousand 7 Because there were 1,000 people, these per capita 40 Considering that we were wasting our time, approximately 50 hundred million 8000 You would have wasted a million hours.
If level 4 autonomous driving becomes widespread, it will be possible to prevent major economic losses.
Maintaining local public transportation
One of the benefits of widespread use of Level 4 autonomous driving is the maintenance of local public transportation.
In regions where there are no trains, it is common to travel by private car or by local public bus. However, the number of users of local public buses tends to decrease due to factors such as the aging of the population, and the challenge is how to continue providing services.
Once Level 4 autonomous driving is achieved, there will be no need for drivers for transportation services such as local public buses and taxis, which is expected to reduce costs and eliminate driver shortages, leading to service continuity.
Effective use of driving time
The benefits that drivers receive from Level 4 autonomous driving include the effective use of the time they were previously driving.
Normally, drivers have to concentrate on driving, so they cannot look at their smartphones or talk while holding a smartphone with one hand.
However, while the system is in operation, the above actions are possible. For example, while the system is operating, there are many ways to utilize the free time, such as holding online meetings on a laptop, conducting research on a smartphone, or studying with video teaching materials.
Also, unlike Level 3 autonomous driving, there is no need to take over driving from the system even in an emergency, so the ability to use your time more freely will be an attractive feature.
autonomous driving level 4 demonstration experiment example
Demonstration experiments toward Level 4 autonomous driving are underway both domestically and overseas. Many of these demonstration experiments are still at the level 2 or level 3 verification stage. However, there is no doubt that several examples of demonstration experiments equivalent to level 4 have already appeared in this article. In this chapter, we will review the information as of December 2023.I would like to organize and introduce examples of demonstration experiments aimed at Level 4 autonomous driving in Japan and those that have already been put into practical use, both domestically and overseas.
Domestic examples for Level 4
In Japan, demonstration experiments aimed at Level 4 autonomous driving have been carried out not only on public roads, but also at highly practical airports and some limited areas.
For example, in October 2021, a autonomous driving bus experiment was conducted at Chubu Centrair International Airport, and demonstration experiments are being conducted at airports such as Haneda Airport in December 2021 and Narita Airport in February 2022. In May 2023, a demonstration experiment will be conducted at Nanki Shirahama Airport with the aim of operating a vehicle equivalent to Level 4 autonomous driving, which is used as a runway inspection vehicle.
In addition, on public roads, Japan's first Level 4 autonomous driving operation on public roads began in Eiheiji Town, Fukui Prefecture in May 2023. Seven-seater cars operate a short 2-kilometer promenade within the town. Operations with general passengers have already begun.
In addition, in September 2023, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture, conducted a demonstration experiment of an EV bus aimed at level 4 autonomous driving in the city center. The aim is to introduce this EV bus in 2025, and the company is conducting demonstration experiments using part of the route expected when it actually operates.
Demonstration experiments are also being conducted on the equivalent of Level 4 autonomous driving for trucks in logistics services. In June 2023, the Japanese branch of TUSIMPLE HOLDINGS, INC., an American autonomous driving truck technology company, released a video of a test run on the Tomei Expressway.
As we enter 2023, demonstration experiments aimed at introducing Level 4 autonomous driving are becoming more active, and the number of examples will continue to increase day by day.
Overseas examples for Level 4
Overseas, more examples of demonstration experiments and practical applications of autonomous driving level 4 in transportation and logistics services have been published than in Japan.
First of all, regarding autonomous driving taxis, there are many examples of efforts in China and the United States. For example, in Beijing, China, internet giant Baidu has been operating driverless autonomous driving taxis that can carry general passengers since March 2023. An unmanned taxi can be called using a dedicated smartphone app and will automatically travel to a designated destination. However, issues remain, and when a problem that cannot be determined by the system occurs, it is handled manually using a remote system, and the situation is expected to continue to develop in the future.
Additionally, Waymo and GM Cruise will begin operating autonomous driving taxis in San Francisco in the United States from June 2022. Furthermore, in August of the same year, the company officially obtained approval to operate 24 hours a day, and its practical use is progressing.
Although autonomous driving taxis have only been introduced in some restricted areas, there is no doubt that they will become widespread in the near future.
In addition, there are many examples of initiatives in the United States and China in logistics services. For example, in December 2019, PLUS.AI, which is developing technology for autonomous driving trucks in the United States, conducted the first demonstration experiment in the United States for commercial transportation equivalent to Level 4 autonomous driving. The distance it was transported was approximately 4,500 km, from TULARE, California on the east coast of the United States to QUAKERTOWN, Pennsylvania on the west coast.
In China, PONY.AI, which develops autonomous driving technology, conducted a demonstration experiment on a highway in December 2021 with China's first truck equipped with an autonomous driving level 4 equivalent.
China and the United States are leading the world in conducting demonstration experiments toward the practical implementation of Level 4 autonomous driving.
Automobile manufacturers’ development trends for Level 4 autonomous driving
Here, we will introduce information on two domestic automakers, Toyota and Honda, whose development trends for Level 4 autonomous driving have been made public.
Toyota's autonomous driving level 4 development trend
Toyota has not announced a specific date for achieving Level 4 autonomous driving. However, they have announced that they are collaborating with China's Pony.ai to develop autonomous driving technology, and that they have launched a company called Woven by Toyota Co., Ltd. to develop the technology.
According to information as of September 2023, in August 2023, Toyota announced plans to mass-produce autonomous driving taxis with the aim of establishing a joint venture company invested by China's Pony.ai and Toyota by the end of 2023. Some speculate that one of the aims of forming this joint venture is to lower costs.
Currently, technology is being developed not only by Toyota but also by custom-fitting autonomous driving systems to vehicles sold on the market, which increases manufacturing costs, but if all of them are manufactured at the same factory. If possible, this could lead to significant cost reductions.
It can be seen that efforts are being made not only to develop technology, but also to bring the price within the reach of general users.
Honda's autonomous driving level 4 development trend
Honda has announced that it is developing Level 4 autonomous driving in partnership with GM and its subsidiary GM Cruise.
In September 2022, the company released a video showing a driving test of Cruise Origin, a autonomous driving vehicle jointly developed with GM Cruise.
In this video, Honda announced that it aims to start operating an autonomous driving service using Cruise Origin in Tokyo in early 2026. The Cruise Origin is not intended to be driven by a driver, so there is no driver's seat itself. Also, judging from the fact that the number of passengers is about 4, it is assumed that it is intended to operate in a manner similar to a taxi rather than a bus.
Summary
Globally, the development of Level 4 autonomous driving is progressing with a focus on mobility and logistics services, with the United States and China leading the way.
However, in Japan, the public and private sectors are working together to promote the social implementation of autonomous driving, and Toyota and Honda are working closely with the world's leading companies developing autonomous driving technology overseas, so the situation is rapidly increasing. There is also a possibility that social implementation of Level 4 autonomous driving will progress.
It will be necessary to continue paying attention to technologies related to autonomous driving in the future.
Inquiry
the Company, Macnica, provides a variety of products and services related to autonomous driving. If you have any questions or requests regarding autonomous driving, please feel free to contact us below.