What is Level 4 Autonomous Driving?
2 Answers
L4 autonomous driving belongs to "high automation". Except for certain special circumstances, it generally does not require human intervention. Autonomous vehicles that rely on specialized maps for operation fall under Level 4 autonomous driving. As long as there is a map, these vehicles can achieve complete autonomous driving without human intervention, but they cannot drive autonomously everywhere. The five levels defined by SAE are: 1. L0: The driver has full control of the vehicle with no automation capabilities. 2. L1: The automated system can sometimes assist the driver with certain driving tasks, such as highway automatic cruise control (automatic lane recognition) and some driver assistance functions. 3. L2: The automated system can complete certain driving tasks, but the driver must monitor the driving environment, complete the remaining tasks, and be ready to take over if issues arise. In most scenarios, there is no autonomous driving capability, only functions like advanced automatic parking and automatic following. Many high-end vehicles currently have these capabilities, but they are far from being widely adopted. 4. L3: The automated system can both complete certain driving tasks and monitor the driving environment under certain conditions, but the driver must be prepared to regain control. This is the level I will focus on today. At this level, the driver must still remain vigilant and ready to take back control of the vehicle at any time. 5. L4: The automated system can complete driving tasks and monitor the driving environment under specific conditions and within certain environments. At this stage, within the operational scope of autonomous driving, all driving-related tasks are completely independent of the driver and passengers. However, the cockpit still seems essential, and manual control components cannot be entirely removed. 6. L5: The automated system can complete all driving tasks under all conditions. As the name suggests, humans can simply be passengers, with the steering wheel, accelerator, brake, etc., all removed. Of course, for safety and emergency situations, there should be an emergency stop button or operation. All other aspects are handled by the vehicle, with humans serving only as passengers.
L4 autonomous driving sounds fancy, but it essentially means the car can drive itself completely without human intervention in certain areas, unlike L3 which still requires you to monitor. I heard this level of system uses a bunch of sensors and AI to assess road conditions—like cameras and radars detecting surrounding vehicles and pedestrians—automatically handling actions such as stopping at red lights or making turns. As long as you set the destination in the car, you can do other things like read or sleep. Of course, it doesn’t work everywhere; usually, it’s limited to pre-mapped zones like city centers or highways, and may fail in heavy rain or fog. The upside is it could drastically reduce accidents—statistics show most crashes are caused by human error, which autonomous vehicles eliminate. But the tech is still in testing, with some robotaxi services operating only in restricted areas. Challenges like high costs and regulatory hurdles need solving. I believe it’ll gradually become mainstream, making traffic safer and more convenient, though buyers should check supported zones and insurance terms before getting a new car.
