Automation is one of the biggest drivers of change within the mobility sector, promising to deliver safer, more efficient, and more affordable movement of goods and people. This major transformation also comes with significant risks and uncertainties.

ADAS have made major strides in the decades since their introduction, yet today’s vehicles still require the driver to be constantly in charge and legally responsible. While leading car makers are starting to deploy SAE Level 3 systems on limited models, this creates further uncertainty and complexity for the safe handover of vehicle control. In parallel, tech companies are jumping straight to limited L4 services via autonomous robotaxis on a limited basis and in defined geographic markets. Major investment and deployment decisions still lie ahead.

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SBD Automotive

Autonomous & ADAS

Advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicle technologies

Technology is no longer the main barrier to autonomous success

The industry’s race towards high-level autonomy has so far been a technological one: proving the robustness and safety of autonomous vehicles through extensive pilots. Although there remain various technical hurdles to overcome, the focus is now shifting towards regulation, consumer acceptance and commercialization. SBD Automotive's autonomous experts believe that these barriers to adoption are too often underestimated and will hold back widespread adoption during the coming decade.

This longer transformation period does not eliminate the need for action today – early-mover advantage in testing and scaling services will be hard to dislodge in the longer-term. However, the ultimate success factor will be delivering services that are safer, more affordable, as well as more convenient. Autonomy is therefore not the end goal, but rather a tool to help us achieve our mobility ambitions.

Major improvements have been achieved at lower levels of autonomy for the past two decades. Lane departure systems have progressed from merely issuing warnings to full active lane keeping. Forward collision systems have progressed in performance and scope, offering both active braking and the ability to detect cyclists and pedestrians as well as other vehicles. However, the range of sensing that a typical human driver possesses still exceeds what machines can achieve in many areas. We are also years away from having sensors that offer the performance and scope required for SAE Level 4 automation without human intervention.

Faced with sensor shortcomings, vague legislation, the cost and convenience of public transport, as well as an untrained user-base, the road to an autonomous future is not easy. To support OEMs and suppliers in the uphill battle to match performance, safety and consumer expectations in the next generation of vehicle autonomy, SBD Automotive has teams of autonomous technology experts ready to support your autonomous journey with data, insight, research and custom consultancy.

Pragmatic Answers

Research Reports

Over the last decade, SBD Automotive's autonomous technology experts have published hundreds of off-the-shelf reports to give OEMs, suppliers, start-ups and governments fast access to the data and analysis needed to navigate and succeed in the autonomous space.

Whether it's analyzing the HMI implementation of the latest systems and functions, tracking legislation and standards, benchmarking competitors, or offering deep-dives into topics like sensor fusion, driver monitoring, or autonomous shuttles, SBD Automotive's report catalog will keep you up to date.

Reports

Custom Consulting Projects

Although the opportunities to benefit from autonomy are rising, so are the risks associated with implementing the wrong strategy or falling behind competitors. It's therefore important to ensure that you always have the latest, most comprehensive, and reliably accurate support at hand.

We provide technical, strategic, research and testing support to businesses across the automotive industry, giving our team unrivaled collective experience, a unique perspective, and an ability to see beyond data.

Consulting

01 When will L4 technology reach its inflection point?

02 By what order of magnitude do autonomous vehicles need to outperform humans in safety statistics?

03 Is autonomous hand-off inherently dangerous without driver monitoring?

Key Industry Questions

04 Where will demand for L4 autonomous vehicles grow?

05 Should automakers go "camera-only"?

Designing for the 80% is not enough when you get safety critical. OEMs can no-longer ignore the outliers. Where traditionally, HMI could be designed for 80% of users, as we move to SAE Level 3 and HMI becomes safety-critical, the systems will need to be able to work for all users. This requires cohesive strategies, large amounts of research, and both internal and external benchmarking.

But, the OEMs that get it right will have a significant head-start in the future of the autonomous automotive industry."

Deepa Rangarajan
Senior Autonomous Technologies Specialist
SBD Automotive