UN Regulation № 157 has been amended to extend L3 automated driving in certain traffic environments at speeds up to 130 km/h; the previous limit was 60. The amendment also allows for automated lanekeeping systems (ALKS), and will enter into force next January.
The amendment, developed by the Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA), builds on the experience in various countries following the adoption in June 2020 of the UN Regulation on Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS), the first binding international regulation on L3 vehicle automation. These developments were guided by UNECE’s framework on automated/autonomous vehicles, which places safety at the core of the UN’s leading regulatory work in this strategic area for the future of mobility. These L3 systems can be activated only under certain conditions, on certain controlled-access roads: ones where pedestrians and cyclists are prohibited, and which are equipped with a physical separation that divides the traffic moving in opposite directions. Drivers can override the system, and can be requested by the system to resume control of the vehicle at any moment.
The regulation sets forth clear performance-based requirements: technical requirements, test protocols on test tracks and in real-world conditions; stringent cybersecurity and software update requirements. It also describes the applicable type-approval and conformity-of-production auditing provisions.
Most countries accept or require vehicles and components designed and build in accord with the UN Regulations, but the United States exists in a regulatory exile of its own making.
DVN comment
This evolution of UN regulation is a real booster for lidar technologies deployments. Most automakers consider lidar crucial for L3 AD systems’ embedded sensing architectures. The AD speed limit increase requires greater reliability and precision from the system and makes lidar even more necessary.