Automation in the long-haul Challenges and opportunities of autonomous heavy-duty trucking in the U.S. Ben Sharpe, PhD 3 Revolutions Policy Conference Univ. of California, Davis February 26, 2018
Outline 1. Autonomous trucking: full speed ahead vs. pumping the brakes 2. Levels of automation and commercial status in trucking 3. Automation: enabling technologies and applications 4. Industry survey: methods and results 5. Summary and future work
ICCT s mission To improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency of all modes of motorized transportation passenger cars, heavy-duty trucks and buses, oceangoing ships, and commercial aviation and the fuels they burn to address air pollution and climate change.
Autonomous trucking Perception is preconception Fleets and industry Truck drivers Higher levels of automation can ease the burden of driving Long-term: potential for massive disruptions to labor markets Long-term: potential labor cost savings Operational cost savings Society Safety benefits Acceptance of fully driverless trucks? 4
Levels of automation and commercial status in trucking LEVEL NAME DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES 0 No automation Human performs all driving tasks, even if enhanced by active safety systems. Navistar LT, Peterbilt 579 TECHNOLOGY STATUS Commercially available 1 Driver assistance Vehicle can perform sustained control of either steering or acceleration/deceleration. Peloton Platooning System, Volvo VNL Commercially available 2 Partial automation Vehicle can perform sustained control of both steering and acceleration/deceleration. Embark, Starsky Robotics Pre-commercial 3 Conditional automation All tasks can be controlled by the system in some situations. Human intervention may be required. Freightliner Inspiration, Uber ATG / Otto Prototype retrofit 4 High automation All tasks can be handled by the system without human intervention, but in limited environments (e.g., dedicated lanes or zones). Not currently available Research and development 5 Full automation Automated system can handle all roadway conditions and environments. Not currently available Research and development 5
Enabling technologies, applications, and examples TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES USED COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE? EXAMPLE COMPANIES Lane departure warning Sensors such as cameras, processing software Mobileye, Meritor WABCO Blind spot detection Sensors such as cameras and radar, processing software Mobileye, Meritor WABCO, Volvo Automatic braking Sensors such as cameras and radar, processing software Scania, DAF, Daimler, Meritor WABCO, Volvo, Bendix Automated manual transmissions Electronic control unit, hydraulics, software Eaton, Volvo, Daimler Eco-driving systems On-board diagnostics, monitoring and processing software, telematics TomTom, Ruptela, SmartDrive 6
Enabling technologies, applications, and examples (2 of 2) TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES USED COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE? EXAMPLE COMPANIES Automated lane keeping Sensors such as cameras or radar, processing software Scania, Meritor WABCO Adaptive cruise control (ACC) Sensors such as radar, processing software Meritor WABCO, DAF, Volvo, Bendix Predictive cruise control (PCC) GPS, topographical mapping data, processing software Kenworth, DAF Platooning Sensors such as radar, processing software, could also include vehicle communications using DSRC (Level 1), Level 2 systems are pre-commercial Peloton, Volvo, Uber ATG, Daimler Highly automated trucking Will likely include cameras, radar, LiDAR, DSRC, processing software. No Daimler, Uber ATG Telematics GPS, DSRC or other wireless communications technology, asset management software Zonar, Geotab, Openmatics 7
Industry survey STAKEHOLDER GROUP NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS Telematics providers 3 Trucking industry research or consultants 5 Communications, radar or LiDAR suppliers 2 Truck drivers and fleet representatives 5 (informal interviews during Run on Less event on September 24, 2017) 8
Rank the motivations for developing or researching autonomous trucking technology 1 - most important 5 - least important Fuel savings Safety Ease of driving Operations efficiency Reduced labor costs 9
Rank the following sources in terms of information regarding new technologies 1 - most trusted 5 - least trusted Manufacturer or supplier marketing Government 3 rd party testing Trucking assoc. or other fleets Fleet s own testing 10
Expectations for commercial availability of Level 3, 4, and 5 freight trucks Level 3: Conditional automation Level 4: High automation Level 5: Full automation 5 years 10 15 20 11
Summary and future work Enabling technologies and autonomous trucking applications are quickly emerging Perceived benefits and drawbacks of autonomous trucking vary by stakeholder group (i.e., fleets vs. truck drivers vs. general public) Industry survey of different stakeholders revealed this perception is preconception phenomenon Future work: how can policy at the federal, state, and local level guide the development and deployment of autonomous trucking? 12