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Group pushes for standardized tech names
A group of stakeholders in the U.S. auto industry are urging automakers to adopt standardized names for Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) technology.
The group, which includes the American Automobile Association, Consumer Reports magazine, the consulting firm J.D. Power, and the National Safety Council – offered up a list of suggested names for common driver assistance systems.
The goal, they say, is to reduce confusion among consumers, and ensure that the public is aware that the systems are designed to assist, not replace, drivers.
Consumers currently face as many as 20 names for a single ADAS feature as vehicle makers often prioritize marketing over clarity, AAA research found earlier this year.
For example: what the group would like to standardize as “Adaptive Cruise Control” is currently known in the market by 20 different monikers:
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Adaptive Cruise Control w/ low-speed follow
- Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist
- Adaptive Cruise with Stop
- Adaptive Cruise with Stop & Go
- Advanced Smart Cruise Control (ASCC)
- All-speed dynamic cruise control
- Camera-based cruise control
- Distance Assist
- Distance Pilot
- Distronic
- DistronicActive
- Distronic Plus
- Dynamic radar cruise control
- High-speed dynamic radar cruise control
- Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC)
- OEM 1 Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- OEM 2 Radar Cruise Control
- Smart Cruise Control (stop/start)
- Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
Lane-keeping assistance is known by 19 unique names including:
Active Steering Assist, Audi Active Lane Assist, Intelligent Lane Intervention, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Lane Keep Assist, LaneSense Lane Departure Warning Plus
Blind Spot Warnings also go by 19 different names, including: Active Blind Spot Assist, Audi Side Assist, Blind Spot Information System, Blind Spot Intervention, Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, Lane Change Assistant (Side Assist), and Smart Blind Spot Detection.
Rear Cross Traffic Assistance is known by 14 different names. Automatic High Beams is known by 18 different names. And Semi-Automated Parking Assist is known by at least 12 different names.
The suggested list of standardized names includes five categories and features 20 unique names in total. It will be updated as new systems come to the market. Their list of preferred names are:
Automated Driving Tasks:
Adaptive Cruise Control
Lane Keeping Assistance
Dynamic Driving Assistance
Collision Alerts:
Forward Collision Warning
Lane Departure Warning
Blind Spot Warning
Rear Cross Traffic Warning
Parking Obstruction Warning
Pedestrian Detection
Collision Mitigation:
Forward Automatic Emergency Braking
Reverse Automatic Emergency Braking
Automatic Emergency Steering
Parking Assistance:
Semi-automated Parking Assistance
Fully-automated Parking Assistance
Remote Parking
Trailer Assistance
Surround View Camera
Miscellaneous Driving Aids:
Automatic High Beams
Night Vision
Driver Monitoring
The other thing that needs to be standardized is the Programming and Updating. Each manufacturer has their own convoluted method, programs and cost. More time is spent jumping through the hoops to update a module than actually diagnosing that it is the issue.
And the auto makers wonder why it is getting so hard to find workers in this trade!! They better get it figured out soon or it won’t matter what the call their systems!