New ADAS requirements fuel the adoption of IoT for public transport

During the recent UITP Global Public Transport Summit, the new EU safety regulation stood as the most discussed topic, and electric buses were the exhibition stars.

Barcelona. The European Union General Vehicle Safety Regulation 2019/2144 became effective this year for new models of vehicles and will be mandatory for all vehicles sold from July 2024.

The new rules are designed to equip all vehicles with Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) to increase safety for vehicle occupants and other people on the road or city streets.

The range of required ADAS features for vehicles includes:

• Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection: Vehicles must be equipped with sensors (Lidar, Radar, or cameras) to detect other people and personal mobility vehicles and allow the driver to focus on the road.
• Blind Spot Monitoring: The system adjusts the danger zones of the vehicle depending on the direction and speed of travel.
• Front Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking: By using front-facing sensors such as cameras and/or radar systems, the system monitors the road and driving conditions and warns the driver of the possibility of a collision. The system automatically initiates the vehicle’s braking at a safe distance if the risk is imminent.
• Intelligent Speed Assistance: It enables the driver to receive information about the current speed limit on any section of the road. If an adaptive cruise control system is enabled, the system automatically adjusts the speed accordingly.
• Lane Departure Warning: It detects lane markers and warns the driver of an unintended lane change.

In addition to the ones mentioned above, required for all motor vehicles, public transport vehicles need to incorporate an additional feature:

• Driver Drowsiness and Distraction Warning: Based on the observation of the driver’s face and the analysis of real-time driving performance, the system detects drowsiness, fatigue, and distraction. It also helps enforce rules about cell phone use and conversation with other people, including passengers.

Radar becomes one of the preferred sensors for ADAS

Radar systems are generally more robust and reliable than other systems. They are less prone to failure and are less sensitive to environmental factors such as ambient light, temperature fluctuations, and vibration. Also, it is more resistant to interference from other objects in the environment, making it more reliable in certain situations. It offers improved performance in challenging conditions, as Radar can function effectively in various weather conditions, including rain, fog, and snow.

Furthermore, Radar technology has the advantage of low-cost, low-power consumption, and easy installation.

Radar can’t provide all the features the new regulations require. Cameras are needed for lane departure warning, pedestrian and cyclist detection, and driver fatigue warning.

“Clearly, there isn’t a perfect sensor. Camera applications have advantages in terms of object classification, particularly through AI. But on the other hand, a camera is an optical sensor with the drawbacks of an optical sensor that can be blocked. Suppose there are low-light conditions or bad weather. In that case, we are not getting as good of a camera sensor picture as you would wish,” said Matthias Feulner, Senior Director ADAS at NXP, “Radar, on the other hand, has great robustness in almost every weather condition. Radar technology has advantages in providing more resolution, giving us a better ability to do object separation and classification. We see that cameras and Radar will continue to complement each other.”

Visiting the exhibition halls at Fira Barcelona, it was impossible to miss the massive presence of new models of electric buses.

Until recently, the most extensive adoption of full-electric buses for public transport happened in China, with over 500,000 vehicles in operation. While it will take the rest of the world many years to come close to that number, passenger transport operators are incorporating electric buses massively in their fleets.

In fact, no single diesel, gasoline, or gas-powered bus was found at the trade show halls. The only exception was an exhibition of vintage buses in Barcelona in the first half of last century.

Public transport operators have finally realized that, in addition to the environmental benefits, the TCO of an electric bus is much lower than a diesel-operated one. While the capital expenditure is higher, primarily because of the cost of batteries, the operating expenses are low despite the current electricity prices.

Furthermore, most electric buses already feature the ADAS systems required by the new EU rules and incorporate passenger comfort features such as WiFi, cell phone chargers, and infotainment systems.