Research on autonomous driving standards and certification: Five major standard systems to promote the development of autonomous driving vehicles

Standards are unified technical requirements in various industries and are the foundation for the standardized development of an industry. It is very necessary to promote the formulation of autonomous driving standards. At present, global standardization organizations represented by ISO, SAE, and UN WP.29 have issued autonomous driving-related standards in a targeted manner. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Standards Committee, and the China Society of Automotive Engineers have also taken the lead in formulating a series of autonomous driving-related standards.

In general, we divide the standards and certifications related to autonomous driving into five categories of standard systems:

Automated driving classification, terminology and definition standards;

Automated driving functional safety and intended functional safety standards;

Automotive cybersecurity and data security standards;

standards for assisted and automated driving systems;

Autonomous vehicle quality management, entry regulations and testing certification standards.

The autonomous driving classification standards are being improved continuously

The standards for vehicle autonomous driving classification, terminology and definitions provide an initial regulatory framework, offer guidance to automakers in the safe design, development, testing and deployment of intelligent connected vehicles, and lay the foundation for the subsequent formulation of standards related to autonomous driving functions.

In terms of autonomous driving classification, the SAE J3016 standard is the most widely used autonomous driving classification standard. SAE has updated and improved the standard several times to adapt to the development of autonomous vehicles. The most recent update was in April 2021. China has also released its own automotive driving automation classification standard GB/T 40429-2021, which will be implemented on March 1, 2022. This standard also refers to the SAE classification standard.

Comparison of China's and SAE's autonomous driving classification standards

Source: Zoss Automotive Research "2022 Global and Chinese Autonomous Driving Vehicle Standards and Certification Research Report"

In terms of terminology and definition standards, ISO, the Standards Administration of China, and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers have issued or are formulating relevant standards to provide reference for the formulation of relevant standards for autonomous driving.

Standards for autonomous driving terms and definitions

Source: Zoss Automotive Research "2022 Global and Chinese Autonomous Driving Vehicle Standards and Certification Research Report"

Continuous updates to safety standards for autonomous driving

Autonomous driving safety standards are mainly divided into three categories: functional safety, expected functional safety and network information security standards.

After ISO updated the ISO 26262 functional safety standard in 2018, it then released the ISO/PAS 21448 intended functional safety standard in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, it also introduced relevant standards ISO/SAE 21434 and ISO/TR 4808 for network information security, continuously improving the layout of autonomous driving safety standards.

At the same time, China is also actively improving autonomous driving safety standards. In November 2019, China launched the revision of GB/T 34590-2017 "Road Vehicle Functional Safety", and revised it based on the ISO 26262:2018 functional safety standard. Opinions were solicited in April 2021 and it is expected to be released in 2022. In addition, in 2020, China launched the formulation of national standards "Road Vehicle Intended Functional Safety" and "Road Vehicle Functional Safety Audit and Assessment Method", which are expected to be completed in 2022.

In terms of network information security, in February 2022, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Guidelines for the Construction of Internet of Vehicles Network Security and Data Security Standard System" to guide the development of relevant standards, including basic commonality, terminal and facility network security, network communication security, data security, application service security, security assurance and support, etc. At present, some standards have been released or are being formulated.

Functional safety and intended functional safety standards

Source: Zoss Automotive Research "2022 Global and Chinese Autonomous Driving Vehicle Standards and Certification Research Report"

It is imperative to improve the standards of assisted and automated driving systems

At present, organizations including ISO, SAE, China National Standards Committee, China Society of Automotive Engineers and others have issued a series of standards related to assisted and automated driving systems, mainly covering vehicle collision warning systems, lane keeping assist systems, lane departure warning systems, autonomous valet parking systems, automatic emergency braking systems, etc.

In general, the existing assisted and automated driving system standards are mainly for L1 and L2 levels. The relevant standard certifications for L3 and above mainly include the ALKS regulations issued by WP.29, the first L4 automated driving standard issued by ISO - ISO 22737 LSAD standard, and the autonomous valet parking standard issued by the China Society of Automotive Engineers.

Standards for Level 3 and above autonomous driving systems

Source: Zoss Automotive Research "2022 Global and Chinese Autonomous Driving Vehicle Standards and Certification Research Report"

Level 3 autonomous driving cars have been legally allowed on the road in countries such as Japan and Germany, and it is imperative to improve the standards for L3 and above autonomous driving systems.

Autonomous driving certification and evaluation are indispensable

Autonomous driving certification and evaluation is an indispensable part of autonomous driving vehicle function development, technology application and commercial promotion. Based on the characteristics of autonomous driving functions and consumer usage needs, formulating objective and quantifiable evaluation and certification standards can not only improve the product experience of autonomous driving vehicles, but also promote the long-term development of autonomous driving technology.

Some global autonomous driving related certification and evaluation systems

Source: Zoss Automotive Research "2022 Global and Chinese Autonomous Driving Vehicle Standards and Certification Research Report"

China actively promotes the formulation of autonomous vehicle standards

China's overall automotive industry remains at the forefront of the world, and it is also at the world's leading level in the formulation of standards related to autonomous driving. On the one hand, China strengthens the top-level design of standards, and on the other hand, it actively promotes the coordination of international and national standards.

In terms of international standards: China took the lead in establishing the ISO/TC22/SC33/WG9 working group for the development of international standards for autonomous vehicle test scenarios, and took the lead in the formulation of the ISO 34501 standard. In addition, it also proposed a new project proposal for "Requirements for data collection in autonomous driving test scenarios."

In terms of domestic standards: China has formulated or is formulating relevant standards for autonomous driving classification standards, autonomous driving terminology and definitions, network security, functional safety, intended functional safety, autonomous driving systems, and autonomous driving-related certification and evaluation.

In addition, China has started the formulation of the first batch of mandatory national standards for intelligent connected vehicles, including "General Technical Requirements for Automobile Software Upgrades", "Technical Requirements and Test Methods for Vehicle Information Security", and "Data Recording System for Autonomous Driving Systems of Intelligent Connected Vehicles". Currently, three national mandatory standards have been approved and are scheduled to be released in December 2022.