Autonomous driving technology is the future of the automotive industry. Since human error is by far the biggest contributor in road accidents, self driving cars will not only save lives but also the environment due to the efficient driving style that reduces emissions. There are five levels of self driving, ranging from level 1, which allows either steering, acceleration or braking to be automated, to level 5, which offers full automation, that is, the drivers input is not required at all.
Subaru Corp. aims to start selling vehicles equipped with the equivalent of “level-2” autonomous technology in the second half of the 2020s, company officials said. The technology will allow Subaru’s to accelerate, brake and also steer automatically.
This features will be incorporated in the company’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, it will use artificial intelligence to recognize a traffic lane even when the white line on the roads cannot be seen. It will also identify pedestrians since, unlike highways, ordinary roads are have human traffic, animals and other distractions. Despite this technology, drivers will still be required to monitor the vehicle’s driving at all times.
In comparison to other manufacturers, Subaru is playing catch up. Earlier this year, Toyota launched new models of its luxury sedan Lexus LS and hydrogen-powered Mirai that are equipped with level-2 assistant technologies. Nissan and Honda have already implemented Level 2 autonomy in their fleet as well.
In the case of Honda, it became the world’s first vehicle manufacturer to incorporate Level 3 self driving. This happened back in March when Honda launched the revamped Legend sedan in Japan with level-3 autonomous technology built in, it allows the driver to engage in different tasks, such as reading and watching TV when the car is driving in certain conditions, including congested traffic on expressways. However, in the case of an emergency, the driver still needs to take full control of the vehicle.
The race is now building up on Level 4. Fortunately, governments especially in Japan have been keen on making laws that allow automated cars on public roads.