DRIVERS OF
INNOVATION
The race to market
in the new era of mo-
bility is being fueled by
a variety of factors, all
of which are accelerat-
ing innovation. Even
innovation itself plays
a role as consumers,
hungry to be early adopters of the
newest technologies, demand that
OEMs step up and deliver.
Some brands are eager to be first to
introduce Automated Driving (AD)
systems. But with being first also
comes the risk of failing first – and
the damage that can do to a brand’s
reputation. So, where brands are un-
able or unwilling to lead, it is driv-
ing them to be different, better or
more affordable. With updates,
features and different performance
characteristics potentially available
over the air, new business models
present themselves. But it’s legisla-
tion and the creation of value that
will really shape the road ahead.
A FRAMEWORK FOR PROGRESS
Despite exhaustive testing in the
simulation, on the testbed, the prov-
ing ground, and on the road, it is in-
credibly difficult to be 100 % cer-
tain how an AD system will behave
in every possible scenario. Ultimate-
ly, in most countries it will be stan-
dards, legislation or certification
that will lay the foundation for what
can or cannot be done on the road.
Once this framework is in place,
it provides a basis that OEMs and
Tiers can work upon. Additonally,
it can also be a motivator to OEMs
to find new methods and locations
for development. For example,
Automated H2H (Hub-to-Hub)
transportation requires commercial
vehicles to be driven over long dis-
tances autonomously. Legislation is
in preparation in many markets, but
it is not ready to be rolled out yet.
However, in some states in the US,
not only are the longer highways
more suitable with lower traffic
densities, but state legislation also
permits comprehensive testing of
autonomous pilot fleets.
International standards and legisla-
tion also influence development in
areas such as vehicle-to-vehicle and
vehicle-to-infrastructure. Differing
privacy laws and government poli-
cies all have a big impact on what
can be done across the EU, in
North America, China and South-
East Asia, for example.
DELIVERING VALUE
As brands seek differentiation, the
focus moves to delivering value,
and how this translates into rev-
enue streams. For some end users
this means on-demand features, sys-
tems upgrades, and new in- vehicle
entertainment. For others – partic-
ularly commercial operators – it’s
technologies that positively impact
TCO, such as platooning or ADAS
comfort functions that attract new
drivers to hard-to-fill roles, or
which support driver substitution.
Driver substitution is the ultimate
goal of AD in the commercial ve-
hicle sector, as it eliminates staffing
Innovation is creat-
ing a new automotive
landscape, but what
is the driving force
behind it?