Authors | Marcos Martinez, Elvira Esparza
The electric buzzing sound vibrated off the walls of the pavilion of the 1939 World’s Fair. Futurama (New York), the international exhibition that promised visitors a glance into the future of cities, presented the first autonomous vehicle in history. The audacity of the time made it electric and connected. Eight decades later, time has proved those inventors right, who were way ahead of their time. In the most populous cities in the world, we have been testing different urban mobility concepts for a long while, and that first vehicle seems to bring together a considerable part of current trends. Connected, electric, autonomous, and consequently, shared vehicles. That is the future of urban mobility.
Cities that embrace electric mobility
The greenhouse effect, increased by the contamination caused by our mobility habits, is greatly to blame for global warming which, in turn, is leading to climate change. An even more pressing point is the fact that this contamination is toxic. Therefore, cities around the world are working on replacing the internal combustion engine with the electric engine. Amsterdam, Rome, Oviedo, Madrid, Barcelona, London… Many European cities have already restricted internal combustion traffic in city centres. Chengdu, Shanghai or Shenzhen are just some examples of this global phenomenon. The latter also introduced a complete fleet of electric buses at the end of 2017. According to official Shenzhen sources, a city with 12 million inhabitants has more than 16,000 electric buses (100%) and over 20,000 pure electric taxis (94.21% of all its taxis). This is just a small example of China’s leadership since, according to the World Economic Forum, around half the electric vehicles are sold in China and by 2025, they will make up one-fifth of the total national fleet. Cities such as Shenzhen (above) prove that the transition, which is much more gradual in the rest of the world, is possible. Most major cities are testing modest shared transport models to introduce electrification to their inhabitants. Others facilitate the use of electric transport (bikes, scooters, motorbikes) on the network to respond to the so-called “last mile” and prevent people from using private vehicles.
Autonomous mobility is here
When we mention autonomous vehicles, we think of cars and science fiction. Yes, robotic cars are more stable than motorbikes and easier to handle than vans or buses and therefore they are becoming the standard in robotic mobility. However, they stopped being just a fantasy a long time ago. Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania joined Singapore in 2018, which has been testing robotic taxis for a long while. They are not the only large cities to allow them, as illustrated by Paris or Madrid.
NuTonomy, Waymo, NAVYA, Zoox, Didi, Uber, Ford, EasyMile or May Mobility are just some of the most popular brands in this market. But certainly not the only ones. In 2015, nuTonomy tested its first autonomous vehicle in Singapore and in 2016 it provided users with the ability to hail one of its vehicles via an app. At the end of 2018, Waymo opened and extended this strategy with some residents in Phoenix. This system is particularly interesting as it provides mobility for the elderly, people with visual impairments and children who are incapable of getting around independently at the moment.
Advantages of autonomous vehicles
Combined with electrification, autonomous vehicles include benefits not offered by other models, such as lower accident rates -the skill of robot vehicles is additive- and improved efficiency. These advantages compared with conventional mobility are three-fold:
- More space in cities. A lower number of autonomous and shared vehicles will free the streets of parked vehicles. According to most sources, private cars are parked 95% of their useful life.
- Safer driving. Robotic taxis will be driven in a much more moderate and less aggressive manner than by people. Accelerating and braking, even with electric vehicles, uses energy that can be avoided when the car in which we are travelling knows the route and speed of all other nearby vehicles.
- Fewer polluting emissions. There is consensus from most sources that the combination of autonomous and shared mobilitywill reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80%. For this to be possible, vehicles must be connected.
Permanently connected vehicles
Traditional vehicles are rapidly adapting to connectivity. In 2016, only 15% of passenger cars for sale in Europe came with built in connectivity. However, according to Statista estimates, there are expected to be 400 million connected vehicles worldwide by 2025, compared to 237 million in 2021.
This connectivity will support mobility in cities, but it will require better telecommunications infrastructure. The rollout of 5G is essential here, since over the next decade a steady increase in autonomous vehicles will require low latency to make decisions in milliseconds.
But what are connected autonomous vehicles?
Simply put, a connected autonomous vehicle is one that makes decisions on its own without human intervention. It can do this because it is permanently connected to the internet, telecommunications networks, and GPS tracking systems.
Connected autonomous vehicles differ from connected vehicles in that the latter use technology to access the internet and can communicate with other vehicles, mobile devices, or infrastructure. In addition to these shared features, connected autonomous vehicles have the advantage of operating without a driver. In other words, a connected autonomous car combines sensors, artificial intelligence, and network communication to drive without a driver.
What are the levels of autonomy of these vehicles?
Autonomous vehicles can have different levels of autonomy, which SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers) has standardized into five levels:
- Level 0. This is a traditional vehicle that may have some safety systems but is driven by a person.
- Level 1. The driver is in control, but the car includes driver assistance systems such as maintaining speed or correcting steering when drifting out of a lane.
- Level 2. The vehicle controls both speed and steering, allowing it to adjust speed automatically, although the driver still needs to intervene. This is the level most cars have today.
- Level 3. Automation is conditional. The car drives itself under certain conditions, but the driver must be ready to take over if the system requires it.
- Level 4. The car drives itself, but only within defined areas. This level is not yet available in private vehicles, only in robotaxis.
- Level 5. This is full automation, where the car has no steering wheel or pedals and requires no human intervention to operate. It can go anywhere under any conditions, although it is not yet available.
What cities have autonomous vehicles?
Most cities with connected autonomous vehicles, or robotaxis, are located in China and the United States. These vehicles operate at Level 4 autonomy, meaning they can drive themselves but only within specific areas and are accessed through an app.
In China, there are eight companies operating in 16 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Chongqing, among others. In the United States, two companies are operating in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Outside of these countries, robotaxis are also operating in Abu Dhabi.
Europe is somewhat behind in the development of connected autonomous cars, as it is still working on its regulatory framework. This year, robotaxis have begun operating in some cities after previously being limited to isolated trials.
London is the most advanced city, followed by Munich in Germany, where they operate in some areas of the city center, although Germany was the first country to approve specific regulations governing the operation of these vehicles. In Madrid, robotaxis are expected to begin operating on city streets later this year.
Autonomous vehicles in public transportation
Public transportation has also embraced connected autonomous vehicles to improve efficiency and sustainability in cities.
Among the pioneering cities in autonomous public transportation is Málaga, with the first autonomous electric bus developed by Avanza, Irizar Group, and several universities and government entities. In Leuven (Belgium), an autonomous minibus has begun operating, connecting the train station with the municipality of Heverlee, while in Rotterdam there has been a line connecting business parks to the metro since 1999.
In China, the city of Guangzhou has an autonomous bus line integrated into the urban transport system, and Shenzhen has a public Level 4 autonomous line. In Seoul, connected autonomous buses have begun operating at night in the city’s busiest areas.
In smart cities, achieving efficient and sustainable mobility requires Level 4 autonomous driving, as it enables robotaxis, urban autonomous buses, and on demand mobility without human intervention. This enables traffic to be optimized in real time with connected vehicles.
Images | istock/PredragImages, Richardcai, iStock/filipefrazao, iStock/Pietro_Ballardini, karelnoppe/iStock, Marcus Lindstrom/iStock
