Cars could drive themselves sooner than expected after European push
Cars could drive themselves sooner than expected after
European push
Reuters
6 hours ago
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Cars could be driving themselves
down the world's streets far sooner than expected, thanks to a change in a
global treaty backed by European countries.
A little-noticed amendment to the United Nations
Convention on Road Traffic agreed last month would let drivers take their hands
off the wheel of self-driving cars. It was pushed by Germany, Italy and France,
whose high-end carmakers believe they are ready to zoom past American tech pioneers
and bring the first "autonomous vehicles" to market.
"Today I am only allowed to take my hands off the
wheel to a limited extent. Thankfully the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic has
been changed," said Thomas Weber, head of Group research at Daimler and
head of development at Mercedes-Benz.
For years, so-called "autonomous vehicles" have
been a futuristic dream pioneered by silicon valley companies like Google.
But as the technology becomes more affordable, Europe's
luxury automakers say they are well placed to take advantage of it because of
their deeper experience in engineering, manufacturing, marketing and sales.
There is no point in waiting while California upstarts catch up.
The U.S. state of Nevada passed a law in June 2011 to
allow test drives of autonomous vehicles there. Google tested one in 2012.
In August 2013, Mercedes-Benz responded to the Google
push by developing an S-class limousine which drove between Mannheim and
Pforzheim without any driver input. The 103 kilometer stretch is known as the
Bertha Benz route, named after the driver of the first ever motorcar more than
125 years ago.
But moving from test drives to marketable products was
held back by Article 8 of the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, which
stipulates: "Every driver shall at all times be able to control his
vehicle or to guide his animals."
The amendment agreed last month by the U.N. Working Party
on Road Traffic Safety would allow a car to drive itself, as long as the system
"can be overridden or switched off by the driver". A driver must be
present and able to take the wheel at any time.
Provided the amendment clears all bureaucratic hurdles,
all 72 countries that are party to the convention would have to work the new
rules into their laws. The convention covers European countries, Mexico, Chile,
Brazil and Russia, although not the United States, Japan or China.
HOPE IN EUROPE
The amendment was submitted by the governments of
Germany, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and Austria, according to the April 17
U.N. document - showing just how important the new technology is for Europe.
Germany's premium carmakers in particular have business
models that rely on leading the market in vehicles with the most sophisticated
features available. They can't afford to fall behind.
Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW as well as auto suppliers Bosch
[ROBG.UL] and Continental, are working on technologies for autonomous or
semi-autonomous cars.
Mercedes has developed technology which can scan the road
ahead and behind with cameras and radar, and prompt a vehicle to pull out and
overtake a large truck without a driver having to touch the steering wheel.
It now wants to introduce more automated driving features
into its cars, such as automated parking, automatic stop-and-go driving in
traffic and motorway driving functions.
Eventually, it hopes to have cars with elaborate
self-driving software that can be easily updated - like an iPhone - to take
advantage of new technical capabilities or changes in the law.
"We have developed a car that can drive
autonomously. Now the legal framework needs to follow suit," a Daimler
spokeswoman said.
(Additonal reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva; Editing by
Peter Graff)
Comments
Post a Comment