Clearer terms are needed in driverless technology.

Following a series of failures, better education is needed to determine each level of autonomy

After a series of vehicle accidents involving self-driving technology in China and abroad, experts have called for more effort to educate consumers about the technology’s current limitations, even if it hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for the long-term potential of driverless cars.

The comments come after accidents in China involving the use of semi-autonomous driving systems, including a fatal one, and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opening an investigation into a crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot.

Li Xiang, CEO of Chinese electric vehicle startup Li Auto, said in a post on WeChat that companies need to adjust how they talk about autonomous driving technology.

“When describing a single situation, the words ‘selfish’ and ‘helpful’ contradict each other,” Lee said. It also emphasizes that drivers are responsible for their own safety even when using assisted driving functions.

“I call on the media and industry bodies to unite to drive China’s word standard autonomously,” Li said. “Because consumers may not understand what Level 2 and Level 3 autonomous driving technology is, which is industry jargon.”

Currently, the global automobile industry defines six levels of autonomous driving, from Level 0 to Level 5 and the level at which the autonomous machine takes over. The standards are developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers, an American-based professional association, and the Standards Development Organization of Engineering Professionals.

Level 2, or L2, includes features like lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and emergency braking. Combined with the features, a car can automate many simple driving tasks, but drivers must also be fully engaged when the so-called Level 2 systems are operating.

Level 3, or L3, refers to situational driving automation, meaning drivers have the ability to ignore certain situations. Level 4 means that vehicles can perform all driving functions separately, but human override is still an option. Step 5 is fully automated without requiring any human intervention.

Currently, all autonomous driving systems available for purchase in cars today are Level 2 or lower, experts say.

According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, 30 percent of new vehicles sold in the first half had Level 2 or driver assistance technologies. This means that about 3.61 million vehicles that hit the road between January and June have functions that include lane keeping and cruise control.

“Although the L0-L5 system is well-known in the automobile industry, consumers have never heard of it, and they see autonomous driving as a complete self-driving technology that can relax their minds while driving,” Jia Xingwang said. Independent car analyst.

In some cases, driver-assisted technology is the cause of the accident, but some drivers are responsible for the accident because they did not do what they could to avoid the accident, Jia added.

Car brands have also stated that the system is not fully self-driving technology and requires drivers to be fully alert.

Cautious optimism is needed when promoting the development of autonomous driving technology, Jia said.

In August, a 31-year-old man was killed when a pilot NIO-marked car landed on the rear end of another vehicle on a highway in China.

American electric vehicle company Tesla is under investigation following a series of Autopilot accidents. The New York Times reported that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in June is upgrading its initial review of Tesla’s Autopilot to an engineering analysis, a more intensive level of testing.

According to the US NHTSA, 35 crashes resulted in 14 deaths, including 9 when Autopilot was activated. But in June, it said Autopilot was not aware of any defects that could cause cars to collide while driving. The extensive investigation covers 830,000 vehicles sold in the United States.