What are the levels of autonomy for commercial vehicles?

An autonomous vehicle can operate and execute necessary tasks without human input, using sensors to detect and understand its surroundings, creating a safer driving experience. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) first published the J3016 standard in 2014, which defined six levels of driving automation, from Level 0 - no automation - to Level 5 - full vehicle autonomy. The five levels of driving automation are defined as:

1. Level 0:

   1. The driver is constantly supervising with complete control as needed to maintain safety. The features in this level provide warning and momentary assistance to support the driver

2. Level 1:

   1. The driver must always monitor the vehicle and be ready to take over at any time to maintain safety. The features in this level provide steering or braking/acceleration assistance to support the driver.

3. Level 2:

   1. The driver must constantly monitor the vehicle and be prepared to take over at any time to maintain safety. The features in this level provide steering and brake/acceleration assistance to help the driver.

4. Level 3:

   1. The driver does not control the vehicle when the features are active. The features in this level control the vehicle under certain conditions. If the conditions are not met, the vehicle will not operate. At this level, the features can request assistance from the driver, at which point the driver must take over control of the vehicle.

5. Level 4:

   1. The driver does not control the vehicle when the features are active. The features in this level control the vehicle under limited conditions. If the conditions are not met, the vehicle will not operate. The driver is not required to take over driving operations at this level.

6. Level 5:

   1. The driver does not control the vehicle when the features are active. The features in this level can drive in all conditions. The driver does not need to take over driving operations at this level.