POWER ELECTRONICS
distance between vehicles easing traff ic and congestion. One interesting hypothesis is that
when level four and fi ve autonomous trucking is achieved, we may see less trucks on our roads rather than more. These levels of autonomy would allow drivers to sleep while the truck drives, increasing the number of routes running through the small hours of the night. It’s also predicted that running on quieter night time roads will likely see a reduction in vehicle collisions, and any improvement in safety can only be a good thing. A fi nal factor pushing the need
for autonomy in trucking is a chronic shortage of drivers. It’s currently estimated that in Europe alone there is a shortfall of 150,000 drivers, with 30,000 each year leaving the profession and only 2,000 coming in. Autonomous and platoon driven trucks could relieve the perceived tedium of long distance driving enticing more drivers to enter the profession. With all of these advances there is understandably a fear that autonomy could remove the need for the driver completely, however it’s unlikely this will be the case. The fi rst and last mile of travelled routes will likely always need driver intervention, and having a person in-vehicle to handle unforeseen events such as a breakdown or road blockages will be crucial when technology can no longer aid.
This is the LIDAR sensor embedded in an Audi roof
THE ROAD AHEAD In an industry that has seen little change for nearly a century the pace of the autonomous revolution can seem as daunting as it is exciting. For some truckers it spells the end of an era, for others a change that can’t come soon enough. For the start-ups and OEMs racing to get to level fi ve autonomy there will be huge amounts of money to be made as fl eets are augmented or replaced with the latest technology. For the haulage companies and
businesses that depend on them there is a once in a generation chance to slash costs, increase capacity and optimise logistic supply chains. At the
same time, governments will play their part in either hindering or supporting the push for autonomy, with legislation adapting as long distance trials are successfully completed. And fi nally, there is us: the public. How will we feel when passing a 40 tonne truck at 70mph with no driver behind the wheel? All this still remains to be seen, but whatever happens, change is coming and in the world of automotive technology, it’s never been more exciting. ●
Sam Clark is CEO of Conjure. See more at
www.conjure.co.uk
Level 4 is coming
Here’s a new entrant into the level four commercial vehicle market. The Karma L4 E-Flex Van uses the Nvidia Drive AGX Pegasus autonomous vehicle computing platform, which achieves 320 trillion operations per second of deep learning. It’s battery-powered, with two Tensor Core GPUs. It’s supported by WeRide,
which covers full 360° fi eld of view (FOV) and provides real- time localisations powered by LIDAR, radar, cameras, GNSS and INS.
This platform can be confi gured in 22 different ways
www.engineerlive.com
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