Aftermarket June 2022

JUNE 2022 AFTERMARKET 25 www.aftermarketonline.net Another UK self-driving first: Project Encode In another UK self-driving first, Project Encode recently demonstrated transfer of control across three states – manual driving, autonomous driving and teleoperation – in live vehicle tests in Oxford and London. Backed by the DfT’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and Innovate UK, partners in the project included technology specialist StreetDrone, IoT security company Angoka, Coventry University and Oxfordshire County Council. The aim was to illustrate how automation can be progressively introduced into industrial settings, with autonomous systems managing the more straightforward vehicle operations and remote drivers stepping in to handle more complex tasks as necessary. The consortium says this proof of concept – delivering transferable responsibility for vehicle control in a cyber-secure context – is central to advancing the application of driverless and teleoperated vehicles across logistics networks. StreetDrone CEO, Mike Potts, said: “The success of this trial, conducted not in a controlled environment but out on the public highway, is blending autonomous technologies with teleoperation to prove an advanced level of technology readiness. This integration provides a ‘ready- now’ solution and it has been a sight to behold.” Dr Giedre Sabaliauskaite, Associate Professor at Coventry University’s Systems Security Group, part of the Centre for Future Transport and Cities (CFTC), added: “This demonstration through the Encode project offers an opportunity to establish a rigorous assurance cycle, ultimately for wider public acceptance.” On 20 April, the government set out changes to The Highway Code to move Britain “closer to a self-driving revolution.” The announcement, by Department for Transport (DfT), the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), and Trudy Harrison MP certainly had the wow factor. Eyebrows were raised at the line: “While travelling in self-driving mode, motorists must be ready to resume control in a timely way if they are prompted to – such as when they approach motorway exits.” They ran into real trouble with this: “The plans also include a change to current regulation, allowing drivers to view content that is not related to driving on built-in display screens, while the self-driving vehicle is in control. It will, however, still be illegal to use mobile phones in self-driving mode, given the greater risk they pose in distracting drivers.” Hyperbolic headlines abounded, with this especially strong one by Jeremy Clarkson in The Sun: “Driverless cars are pointless – and they have built-in instructions to kill you.” Back to the announcement itself. It asserted that self-driving vehicles could create 38,000 new, high-skilled jobs in Britain by 2035, and was accompanied by statements from the Minister, the RAC and the SMMT. Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said: “This is a major milestone in our safe introduction of self-driving vehicles, which will revolutionise the way we travel, making our future journeys greener, safer and more reliable.” Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Vehicle manufacturers and sellers will have a vital role to play in ensuring their customers fully appreciate the capabilities of the cars they buy and the rules that govern them.” Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of The SMMT, said: “Amending The Highway Code to reflect the pace of technological change will help clarify what motorists can and can’t do when a self- driving feature is engaged, so promoting its safe use.” Amidst the deluge of reactions, kudos to Neil Atherton, Sales and Marketing Director at Autoglass, for highlighting the need for sensor recalibration: “Much has been made of the dawn of fully autonomous vehicles, but in reality many of these technologies are already in our vehicles. “ADAS, especially the windscreen fitted sensors that monitor road conditions and hazards in real time, will need to be fitted in all new cars rolling off the production line later this year, and drivers and the wider automotive industry need to be ready to use and maintain them properly.” Highway Code self-driving changes spark uproar