ADAS & Autonomous Vehicles Special Report - December 2024 - 16

CONTINENTAL
Realizing software-defined commercial vehicles
Full data transparency is
key for productivity gains
in off-highway sectors such
as construction and mining.
" Public hesitation about completely driverless commercial
vehicles is still common, " he said. " Events like COMVEC offer
opportunities to showcase advancements, demonstrate the reliability
and safety of autonomous systems, and communicate how these
technologies can outperform human drivers in terms of safety. "
Continental and Aurora Innovation announced at CES
2024 in Las Vegas that they had finalized their design of a
scalable SAE Level 4 automated driving system, the Aurora
Driver (www.sae.org/news/2024/01/continental-auroraautonomous-truck).
Start of production is expected in 2027.
" This is groundbreaking technology that is scaled up to a
commercial-attractive level, which naturally entails challenges
- on the legal side as well as in development of such a complex
system solution, " Fässler said. " Fully clear is that no player in
the market can overcome these challenges [on] its own. "
Fässler said that components and base technologies
developed for the high-volume passenger vehicle market
can significantly reduce costs and development time for its
customers in other markets, including commercial vehicle and
off-highway. However, autonomy is one area in which lessons
learned and technologies developed specifically for heavyduty
vehicles can be transferred to benefit passenger cars.
" Here, particularly our L4 autonomous driving solutions
and cooperation with Aurora serve as pioneers, " he said.
Slashing CO2
Alleviating autonomous anxiety isn't the only task at hand. As
climate change becomes harder to ignore, the transportation sector
is under mounting pressure to improve its sustainability, and fast.
" There's a significant shift toward electric commercial vehicles driven
by environmental concerns and government regulations, " Fässler said.
" And society is supporting the move towards slashing CO2
emissions. "
To get there, charging infrastructure needs to improve - both
for passenger and commercial vehicles. According to Fässler, this
16 DECEMBER 2024
means more high-powered fast charging stations
strategically placed along major routes and at key
hubs, further standardization, and grid upgrades.
" Standardizing the charging system is
essential to ensure compatibility across different
vehicle makes and models, " he said.
Vehicle range and the high costs of transitioning
to a fully electric fleet are also considerable
challenges that need to be addressed. Fässler
indicated that governments and industry
can, and should, work together to meet the
public's demand for positive change.
" Governments can play a significant role in
accelerating the adoption of electric commercial
vehicles through incentives such as subsidies,
tax breaks, and grants for vehicle purchases and
charging infrastructure installation, " he said.
" Additionally, regulations such as emissions
standards and zero-emission zones can incentivize
fleet operators to switch to electric vehicles. "
One such regulation is the U.S. EPA's recent final
rule on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards
for heavy-duty vehicles. These " Phase 3 " guidelines
establish new CO2
emissions for model year 2032
and later heavy-duty vehicles, beginning as early as
MY 2027 for certain vehicle categories. For example,
MY 2027 light-heavy vocational vehicles must cut
CO2
emissions by 17% compared to the Phase 2
regulations; by MY 2032, that figure swells to 60%.
" As the climate crisis intensifies, regulations
that affect commercial vehicles will continue to
increase, as they will in all sectors, " Fässler said.
Gretchen Uhrinek, the editor for SAE's official member
magazine, Update, contributed to this feature story.
ADAS & AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES SPECIAL REPORT
http://www.sae.org/news/2024/01/continental-aurora-autonomous-truck http://www.sae.org/news/2024/01/continental-aurora-autonomous-truck
ADAS & Autonomous Vehicles Special Report - December 2024

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