SAE EDGE Research Reports provide state-of-the-art and state-of-industry examinations of the most significant topics in mobility engineering. SAE EDGE contributors are experts from research, academia, and industry who have come together to explore and define the most critical advancements, challenges, and future direction in areas such as vehicle automation, unmanned aircraft, IoT and connectivity, cybersecurity, advanced propulsion, and advanced manufacturing.

Modern automobiles collect around 25 gigabytes of data per hour and autonomous vehicles are expected to generate more than 100 times that number. In comparison, the Apollo Guidance Computer assisting in the moon launches had only a 32-kilobtye hard disk. Without question, the breadth of in-vehicle data has opened new possibilities and challenges. The potential for accessing this data has led many entrepreneurs to claim that data is more valuable than even the vehicle itself. These intrepid data-miners seek to explore business opportunities in predictive maintenance, pay-as-you-drive features, and infrastructure services. Yet, the use of data comes with inherent challenges: accessibility, ownership, security, and privacy. Unsettled Legal Issues Facing Data in Autonomous, Connected, Electric, and Shared Vehicles examines some of the pressing questions on the minds of both industry and consumers. Who owns the data and how can it be used? What are the regulatory regimes that impact vehicular data use? Is the US close to harmonizing with other nations in the automotive data privacy? And will the risks of hackers lead to the “zombie car apocalypse” or to another avenue for ransomware? This report explores a number of these legal challenges and the unsettled aspects that arise in the world of automotive data. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2021019

When will we see autonomous vehicles on our roads? The answer is that to some degree, they are already here. Numerous organisations are testing fully autonomous prototypes on public roads in the UK, and even commercially available vehicles already have several ‘quasi-autonomous’ features. KPMG has forecasted that the connected and autonomous vehicles market could be worth as much as £51 billion to the British economy by 2030 and could create some 30,000 new jobs over the same period. Accordingly, the UK and a number of other jurisdictions are already implementing legal reforms with a view to smoothing the path for this technology. Notably, Parliament has passed the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 dealing with the insurance of such vehicles, and changes are currently being made to the Road Vehicle (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 and to the Highway Code to accommodate highly automated technologies. The government has also issued non-statutory guidance in relation to testing on public roads, and in relation to vehicle cybersecurity. Against this rapidly changing landscape, this book analyses the key legal issues facing autonomous vehicles, including testing on public roads, insurance, product liability, and cyber security and data protection. It also examines the approach being taken in other jurisdictions, including Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, the USA, and South Africa.

We are at the beginning of the next major disruptive cycle caused by computing. In transportation, the term Autonomous, Connected, Electric, and Shared (ACES) has been coined to represent the enormous innovations enabled by underlying electronics technology. The benefits of ACES vehicles range from improved safety, reduced congestion, and lower stress for car occupants to social inclusion, lower emissions, and better road utilization due to optimal integration of private and public transport. ACES is creating a new automotive and industrial ecosystem that will disrupt not only the technical development of transportation but also the management and supply chain of the industry. Disruptions caused by ACES are prompted by not only technology but also by a shift from a traditional to a software-based mindset, embodied by the arrival of a new generation of automotive industry workforce. In Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared Vehicles: Disrupting the Automotive and Mobility Sectors, Umar Zakir Abdul Hamid provides an overview of ACES technology for cross-disciplinary audiences, including researchers, academics, and automotive professionals. Hamid bridges the gap among the book’s varied audiences, exploring the development and deployment of ACES vehicles and the disruptions, challenges, and potential benefits of this new technology. Topics covered include: • Recent trends and progress stimulating ACES growth and development • ACES vehicle overview • Automotive and mobility industry disruptions caused by ACES • Challenges of ACES implementation • Potential benefits of the ACES ecosystem While market introduction of ACES vehicles that are fully automated and capable of unsupervised driving in an unstructured environment is still a long-term goal, the future of mobility will be ACES, and the transportation industry must prepare for this transition. Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared Vehicles is a necessary resource for anyone interested in the successful and reliable implementation of ACES. “ACES are destined to be a game changers on the roads, altering the face of mobility.” Daniel Watzenig, Professor Graz University of Technology, Austria

The automotive industry appears close to substantial change engendered by “self-driving” technologies. This technology offers the possibility of significant benefits to social welfare—saving lives; reducing crashes, congestion, fuel consumption, and pollution; increasing mobility for the disabled; and ultimately improving land use. This report is intended as a guide for state and federal policymakers on the many issues that this technology raises.

Facial recognition software (FRS) is a form of biometric security that detects a face, analyzes it, converts it to data, and then matches it with images in a database. This technology is currently being used in vehicles for safety and convenience features, such as detecting driver fatigue, ensuring ride share drivers are wearing a face covering, or unlocking the vehicle. Public transportation hubs can also use FRS to identify missing persons, intercept domestic terrorism, deter theft, and achieve other security initiatives. However, biometric data is sensitive and there are numerous remaining questions about how to implement and regulate FRS in a way that maximizes its safety and security potential while simultaneously ensuring individual’s right to privacy, data security, and technology-based equality. Legal Issues Facing Automated Vehicles, Facial Recognition, and Individual Rights seeks to highlight the benefits of using FRS in public and private transportation technology and addresses some of the legitimate concerns regarding its use by private corporations and government entities, including law enforcement, in public transportation hubs and traffic stops. Constitutional questions, including First, Forth, and Ninth Amendment issues, also remain unanswered. FRS is now a permanent part of transportation technology and society; with meaningful legislation and conscious engineering, it can make future transportation safer and more convenient. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2022016

This book takes a look at fully automated, autonomous vehicles and discusses many open questions: How can autonomous vehicles be integrated into the current transportation system with diverse users and human drivers? Where do automated vehicles fall under current legal frameworks? What risks are associated with automation and how will society respond to these risks? How will the marketplace react to automated vehicles and what changes may be necessary for companies? Experts from Germany and the United States define key societal, engineering, and mobility issues related to the automation of vehicles. They discuss the decisions programmers of automated vehicles must make to enable vehicles to perceive their environment, interact with other road users, and choose actions that may have ethical consequences. The authors further identify expectations and concerns that will form the basis for individual and societal acceptance of autonomous driving. While the safety benefits of such vehicles are tremendous, the authors demonstrate that these benefits will only be achieved if vehicles have an appropriate safety concept at the heart of their design. Realizing the potential of automated vehicles to reorganize traffic and transform mobility of people and goods requires similar care in the design of vehicles and networks. By covering all of these topics, the book aims to provide a current, comprehensive, and scientifically sound treatment of the emerging field of “autonomous driving".