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Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

blog.a9t9.com

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Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#11

Post by this_user »

cjbenedikt wrote: post #6
rndn wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience there is no significant difference between an Autobahn and a North American highway regarding the difficulty of navigation. The tricky parts are the ramps, exits, construction zones and merging, and they occur roughly with the same frequency. I think the test track is more about testing technology which will be installed at the roadside.

There is though: there is no speed limit on German Autobahns

There is no general speed limit but most portions do actually have specific limits.

Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#12

Post by gambiting »

kaybe wrote: post #8
adevine wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Still, if the highway were only autonomous networked vehicles, you could do some other cool things, like allow faster speeds and more throughput because the cars could be spaced closer together.

I suspect they will rather limit the speed for autonomous vehicles since there's no limit, but above 130 km/h you will be partly guilty for accidents even if it wasn't your fault. (So it's a legal issue.) The A9 is a very interesting choice because it links Munich to Berlin and probably has a lot of business travellers. If they could work while driving, it could be a big selling point.

That's already the case with regular cars. There is no limit so in theory you could drive at 250km/h and it's perfectly legal(I've done it in the middle of the night, it's very cool if the conditions allow it), but if you get into an accident at anything above 130km/h you might be held liable for not driving at an appropriate speed.

Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#14

Post by DasIch »

rndn wrote: post #4
leowinterde wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A highway is not a German Autobahn.

In my experience there is no significant difference between an Autobahn and a North American highway regarding the difficulty of navigation. The tricky parts are the ramps, exits, construction zones and merging, and they occur roughly with the same frequency. I think the test track is more about testing technology which will be installed at the roadside.

Speaking as a German who spend quite some time driving in other European countries with speed limits, the difference is massive.

Elsewhere most people tend to drive at more or less at the maximum speed allowed. This makes for a very relaxed, easy albeit boring experience.

In Germany the difference in speed between the cars are a lot bigger, even in areas with a speed limit. In combination with the Rechtsfahrgebot (a law that makes driving in the right-most lane mandatory, unless you are overtaking or there is no space) you are constantly overtaking trucks and other cars, while others do so to you as well. Overtaking itself requires accelaration often time going beyond the actual speed limit so as not to slow down others too much which can be dangerous.

Furthermore you have to constantly monitor traffic so as not to be trapped on the right lane, if a larger group of cars comes up from behind, which happens frequently.

I highly doubt that current autonomous cars are capable of that to a degree, where I wouldn't be annoyed and wanted to take over. Especially at night, when it's raining, snowing, there is fog or a combination of these.

Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#15

Post by ccozan »

I am driving A96 everyday to work. It's a waisted hour.

I would like to do the following:

- tell the car to drive to work

- actually autonomously drive on the HW, while I work ( I have 5Gb included on my LTE VF abo so I can do all my work remotely)

- keep all the speed limits ( I am personally driving like crazy, in order to minimize the driving time )

- drop me on the curbside

- go find a parking place :)

After work: - calling my car to pick me up

- drive home, autonomously, while I slack on the internet or sleep

- wake me up when entering the garage.

at this moment I can hire with 450 euro a month a chauffeur that does all that. But I would buy in a second a car with such a possibility.

EDIT: formatting

Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#16

Post by pgeorgi »

saosebastiao wrote: post #2

A test highway ? I thought the highway was the solved problem. Google's car handles the highways so well that they don't even bother testing it on the highways anymore.

But not for Volkswagen (Audi is in Ingolstadt, which the A9 passes), BMW (Munich, also passed by the A9) and Daimler (they're further away, but still close).

I guess they're not interested in sharing their livelyhood with Google, so they have to reinvent that particular automatic wheel...

Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#17

Post by mkaufmann »

saosebastiao wrote: post #2

A test highway ? I thought the highway was the solved problem. Google's car handles the highways so well that they don't even bother testing it on the highways anymore.

Driving on a german highway with autonomous cars has already been done as already as 1996 by Mercedes[1]. But same as with the google cars they used very special hardware which would be too expensive for production use. The current challenges are to make autonomous driving happening with fewer and cheaper sensors.

Also having a real highway allows testing scenarios like partially blocked street due to construction, testing at night, with rain, with snow, etc. Google's cars are currently not working under such conditions so there are still many problems to solve.

[1] http://wwwlehre.dhbw-stuttgart.de/~reichard/content/person/d... (Sorry no english news)

Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#18

Post by joezydeco »

DasIch wrote: post #14
rndn wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience there is no significant difference between an Autobahn and a North American highway regarding the difficulty of navigation. The tricky parts are the ramps, exits, construction zones and merging, and they occur roughly with the same frequency. I think the test track is more about testing technology which will be installed at the roadside.

Speaking as a German who spend quite some time driving in other European countries with speed limits, the difference is massive. Elsewhere most people tend to drive at more or less at the maximum speed allowed. This makes for a very relaxed, easy albeit boring experience. In Germany the difference in speed between the cars are a lot bigger, even in areas with a speed limit. In combination with the Rechtsfahrgebot (a…

At least German drivers are predictable when it comes to Rechtsfahrgebot.

Contrast with American drivers, who will stay in whatever lane they want and/or pass at high speed in any lane they deem open.

Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#19

Post by joezydeco »

this_user wrote: post #11
cjbenedikt wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is though: there is no speed limit on German Autobahns

There is no general speed limit but most portions do actually have specific limits.

And it's dynamic. Portions will switch from unlimited to limited speed based on weather, construction, or accidents far ahead, giving everyone time to slow down and merge away from a blocked lane.

And drivers actually follow the signs. As an American driver it's an amazing thing to see.

Re: Germany plans highway test track for self-driving cars

#20

Post by masklinn »

ccozan wrote: post #15

I am driving A96 everyday to work. It's a waisted hour. I would like to do the following: - tell the car to drive to work - actually autonomously drive on the HW, while I work ( I have 5Gb included on my LTE VF abo so I can do all my work remotely) - keep all the speed limits ( I am personally driving like crazy, in order to minimize the driving time ) - drop me on the curbside - go find a parking place :) After work…

And the step after that, printing and unprinting the car itself, no need for parking or garage anymore.
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