144 http://www.evoIndia.com | July 2019
RENAULT AUTONOMOUS CARS
In addition, there are cameras and screens to monitor the
progress of the car.
The service is set to be available to a select panel of users
on the university campus and French law requires a safety
driver to be present behind the wheel at all times to take
control in case of an emergency. There is also a main control
centre with a supervision system watching over things.
As we set off, the steering wheel turned automatically
after the turn indicator has been self-activated to alert
oncoming traffic. Once on the road, the car assesses and
analyses everything in its surrounding, including traffic
status, speed limit information, traffic signals and lane
markers, to maintain its path. Most importantly, it detects
pedestrians and other road users. The system avoids them
or slows down the vehicle in case they are in the path of the
vehicle. On our drive, we faced a situation where there was
a cyclist in front of our vehicle and it slowed itself down,
not overtaking him as the road was not wide enough. This
is when the safety driver took over control of the vehicle
in order to pass the cyclist, as the system is still learning
and has not yet been taught how to pass other road users.
Through the remainder of drive, the safety driver had his
hands on his knees and off the steering wheel at all times,
yet alert to what the car is doing, but never taking manual
control.
There are five levels of autonomous driving with
each one lesser human intervention. Renault are close
to achieving level four with Zoe, while some of their
other prototypes are at more advanced stages. Level
five (the highest) doesn’t need the vehicle to even have a
steering, pedals or anything that would require human
intervention. Goes without saying that all these future
cars will come without an internal combustion engine,
with a host of sensors, cameras and few controls. We can
also expect these cars to come without the conventional
dashboard, while being available in all sorts of shapes and
sizes, something Renault displayed at the Viva Technology
show. They showcased the Renault EZ-Pod and EZ-Flex
concepts, prototypes that are actually being tested. The
EZ-Pod is based on the Renault Twingo, and is a two-seater
concept aimed at last-mile connectivity. The Flex is an
electric mini delivery truck with a flexible deck, targeted
at the transportation and hospitality industry.
Tesla is not the only one working on autonomous