Self-Driving vehicles
A brief explanation of this technology.
There are five levels of vehicle autonomy (from Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
Level 1, Driver Assistance. e.g. adaptive cruise control.
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Level 2, Partial automation. e.g. handling several driving tasks, such as braking, and steering, but requiring driver attention. Tesla autopilot is at level 2. Many other new car models now have this capability (to slightly varying degrees).
Level 3, Conditional Automation. Vehicle can monitor the surroundings and function automatically. Humans have to take over in complex situations, like obstacles in the road, or bad weather.
As of December 2024, Mercedes-Benz has attained this level in selected models. It is only available when traveling more than 59 MPH, and currently only in California Nevada.
Most of the other German car makers are close to offering Level 3 self-driving.
It is alleged that as of December, 2024 Tesla “Full Self Driving (FSD)” has attained level 3.
I used a free 30 day FSD trial this past summer. It was impressive, but it scared the hell out of me.
I have heard several Tesla drivers who love FSD, and a few who would never use it.
Level 4, High Automation. Vehicle is responsible for all driving, but only in designated areas or situations.
Google’s Waymo vehicles are at this level, operating in certain geographical locations only (e.g. parts of Phoenix, San Francisco).
Level 5, Full Automation. No human intervention is necessary.
Newer Tesla models (Model 3 and Y) FSD rely entirely on cameras and ultrasonic sensors, while older models (Model S and X) also have radar.
In addition to cameras, Mercedes employs radar, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), ultrasound sensors and an antenna array.
Waymo uses cameras, Lidar, radar, and high resolution maps.
Allegedly, the self driving equipment on a Waymo costs more than $100K.
My opinion is that Tesla FSD is very near the ceiling of what self-driving can be done solely by cameras and ultrasonic sensors.
The cost of non camera/ultrasonic sensors adds capability, but significantly adds to the cost of self-driving systems.
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