When Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) gets activated in a car it could be really drastic and there is no way to reduce the shock for the people inside the car. But it is definitely something that ends up saving a lot of lives and preventing serious injuries, Mohan Savarkar, Chief Product Officer, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, explained at the recently- held ETAuto virtual conference on Automotive Safety.
An active safety feature in cars, the AEB uses a combination of camera, sensor and laser to prepare the braking system for potential high-speed collision emergencies. It automatically detects objects or pedestrians and applies the brakes in emergency situations to avoid a potential collision.
Part of the Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS), AEB usually prompts an audio or visual collision warning to the driver and full braking is automatically initiated in case the driver fails to react to the situation.
While safety features like AEB cannot be replaced by the driver not paying attention, experts suggest they can play a significant role in situations that could go out of control and reduce the impact of road fatalities.
In line with the Indian driving conditions, AEB is not mandatory for cars here. This feature is primarily available in some premium and luxury car models. Other models including MG Gloster, MG Astor, Mahindra XUV700, Hyundai Ioniq, new Honda City, and the new Tata Harrier and Safari also offer AEB.
“In case the vehicle exceeds speed limits, AEB may not be able to prevent a collision, but it will definitely control the speed to an extent where the accident would be less severe,” Savarkar said.
According to Ganesh Rao, Head of R&D – ADAS Engineering, Autonomous Mobility, Continental India, the introduction of AEB always goes hand-in-hand with the OEM demand, as a lot of it is human-machine interface.
Rao noted that full AEB trigger is an extreme braking and it is a shocking event. “But it is a life saver. With more human awareness, the acceptance will also be high.”
On the contrary, Alejandro Furas, Secretary General, Global NCAP opined that AEB can be adjusted in many ways. “Usually it does not come out of nothing and the driver gets a warning sign from the car. Something in the car will be unusual and unless the driver is very distracted or has an impaired driving, they will not be caught by surprise by AEB.”
Consumer demand for AEB
Some of the global OEMs introduced the AEB feature in India, and it has already been in the play for the last 7-8 years. Going forward, we believe its adoption will increase, Sachin Tikekar, President and Joint MD, KPIT Technologies, said during the company’s post-earnings call.
Tata Motors, which currently offers this active safety feature in two of its recently-launched models, aims to offer AEB in low-end variants as well, and eventually make it available in other models.
“Initially, we expected the demand for AEB to account for about 2%-5% of the total vehicles where it is being offered, however that has turned out to be about 15%-20%,” Savarkar said.
GNCAP highlighted that it vouches for these features to be democratised in India. “Safety features including six airbags, ESC, AEB and other features should be standard to all consumers without them having to pay something extra for that,” Furas said, adding that the government regulations have a key role to play to incentivise vehicles with advanced features.
While the demand for ADAS features is on a rise, there is also a set of consumers who are more comfortable without technology intervention and do not want these features.
Savarkar said, “We have provided a way to switch off ADAS features. If one chooses to do so, the AEB would not be switched on, but it is highly recommended not to do that.”
Other automakers with ADAS features also provide an option to deactivate some of these features in the vehicles.
Global regulations
BlueWeave Consulting, a leading strategic consulting and market research firm, in its recent study, estimated the global AEB system market size at USD 5.03 billion in 2022. During the forecast period between 2023 and 2029, it expects this market size to grow at a robust CAGR of 24.06% reaching a value of USD 22.48 billion by 2029.
Major growth drivers include an increasing demand for advanced safety features in vehicles, high disposable income, and growing sales of passenger and commercial vehicles.
The market is further driven by rising concerns over road safety and government regulations mandating the use of advanced safety features in vehicles. The increasing adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles is also expected to drive the market growth, as these vehicles require advanced safety features to manage the unique characteristics of electric powertrains, the study said.
US has recently proposed requiring AEB on all new passenger cars and light trucks and set new performance requirements.
The new requirements proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would require most vehicles to comply three years after being finalized and are expected to dramatically reduce crashes associated with pedestrians and rear-end crashes.
The auto safety agency projected that the rule would save at least 360 lives and reduce injuries by at least 24,000 annually.
In 2016, 20 automakers voluntarily agreed to make automatic emergency braking standard on nearly all the US vehicles by 2022.
