New Assessment and Testing Methodology for Vehicle Type Approval - Part 1

The following is the first of a three-part series produced by Carlos Lujan Tutusaus, Senior Manager of Homologation, Commercial Vehicles, Automated Driving and Vehicle Dynamics in Applus IDIADA and Oriol Flix Viñas, Homologation Engineer, Commercial Vehicles, Automated Driving and Vehicle Dynamics in Applus IDIADA.

In the context of a deep transformation in automotive technology, especially with the wide introduction of ADAS functions and the first commercially available vehicles with automated functions, the classic type-approval procedures have been challenged and new methodologies are required. This article describes the actions being carried out at different levels to tackle such challenges, as well as the main future trends concerning the new assessment and testing methodologies for the type approval of vehicles and their systems.

Introduction

Technological innovations in the field of Connected and Automated Driving have a strong impact on different areas in the automotive industry. Among those areas, the effect on vehicle homologation procedures is game-changing, in a way that requires a brand-new approach. Traditionally, the homologation process based on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regulatory framework has been a single step at the end of the development phase, where regulations normally defined a series of repeatable scenarios to be evaluated, where the effect of the driver is typically suppressed using the measurement of the inputs on the vehicle commands or using the use of driving robots.