We are very excited about the development of self driving cars. We dream of reading the morning news while being driven to work. Or taking a power nap while our Google car takes us from one appointment to the next. Or even, going on a road trip without actually having to drive.
But are we there yet? How close are of of this being reality? What does autonomous driving really mean?
To help us better understand the developments, the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defined five levels of autonomous driving. In 2016, the NHTSA updated their policy to reflect that they have officially adopted the levels of autonomy outlined in the SAE International’s J3016 document. You can download the full, 30-page document for free here. However, if you’re anything like us, you may prefer a more abbreviated version.
That’s why we’ve created the fun infographic below, illustrating the levels of automation in cars. So far, level 6 is the highest achievable level. Once this point is reached, we are dealing with fully automated cars where drivers become passengers.