Standards
There is a reason why SAE International is both the standard bearer and the largest international body for ground vehicle and aerospace standards. Simply, no one does it better.
In 2018, SAE International published more than 1,100 new standards. That brings our online data base to more than 38,000 consensus-based standards, which are critical to the mobility industry and regulatory agencies. The work conducted by our standards committees ensures quality, safety, and productivity for the mobility engineering industry.
Aerospace Standards
For the third consecutive year, the Aerospace Standards group published, revised, or stabilized more than 900 standards in 2018. The 957 standards of last year eclipsed the 928 of 2017 by 29 – a more than three-percent increase. The continued increase in standards published, revised, or stabilized is in large part due to the dedication and diligence of the technical committees and the efficient processes established by SAE International. This combination of hard work by the committees and great support provided by SAE enables standards to be produced more quickly.
Aerospace Standards organized 125 face-to-face meetings around the world with its committees, providing a place for global aviation stakeholders to develop the needed standards.
The new groups and committees created in 2018 included:
- Electrification and Advanced Propulsion (E-40 Electrified Propulsion, AE-7D Aircraft Energy Storage and Charging, AE-9 Electrical Materials);
- Digital & Data Technologies (Digital & Data Steering Group and G-31 Electronic Transactions in Aerospace and Blockchain);
- Cybersecurity (G-32 Cyberphysical Systems Security);
- Advanced Materials/Manufacturing (AMS-AM Repair Materials Task Group).
In addition, excellent progress was made with global adoption of SAE standards. Two of the five new technical committees have European chairs.
Aerospace Standards made significant advances in the relationship with Safran, which hosted the April 2018 Aerospace Council meeting south of Paris. The director of the International Civil Aviation Organization delivered an update at the meeting.
A stakeholder forum to support adoption of SAE standards by the Chinese aviation industry was facilitated by SAE International’s Shanghai office. This was an opportunity for key players in the Chinese aviation industry to meet and discuss implementation of SAE standards. The 2018 effort is expected to be part of an ongoing effort by SAE International to facilitate the use of its standards. The meeting was held one day before the SAE Aviation Technology Forum in Shanghai, where a number of presentations were given about SAE standards.
SAE standards were the subject of two big-picture symposia in Tokyo – one in April and other in November. The latter meeting was held in conjunction with JA2018, the large Japanese aerospace exhibition held in Tokyo every two years. In conjunction with the event, Aerospace Standards hosted a two-day symposium that was co-organized with the University of Tokyo and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies. The event featured speakers from the Japanese and global aviation industries, including a keynote speaker from METI – the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The fourth annual Aerospace Standards Summit was held in Tysons Corner, Virginia, in October and was attended by more than 70 people. The summit featured expert panels on such critical subjects as autonomy in aviation, artificial intelligence, systems engineering, advanced maintenance, and human systems integration. Keynote addresses included those by the U.S. Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Air Force, and the Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
Global Ground Vehicle Standards
More than 60 SAE Ground Vehicle Standard committees, working across the passenger and commercial vehicle sectors, created 223 standards and recommended practices in 2018. These included such standards as:
- Diagnostic Link Connector Security (SAE J3138);
- Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Shared Mobility and Enabling Technologies (SAE J3163);
- Revision of Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles (SAE J3016);
- Dedicated Short Range Communication Systems Engineering Process Guidance for (SAE J2945/X);
- Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System Using a Three-Phase Capable Coupler (SAE J2836); and
- for Using Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV) Communications, Interoperability and Security Documents (SAE J2836).
Shared mobility entered the global stage in a big way in 2018. The evolution of shared mobility has led to a lack of interoperability, standardized evaluation methods, and common terminology. To enable clarity and collaboration, SAE created its first shared mobility standard (SAE J3163). A new SAE standards committee on micro-mobility (e-boards, e-scooters, e-cycles, etc.) was launched in late 2018.
Ground Vehicle Standards continued its SAE consultative status with the WP29 World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations and the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety (WP1). SAE was unanimously selected by the voting countries of the WP29 ITS Working Group to be Secretariat of the Automated Driving Systems On-Road Testing Sub-group.
In addition, SAE has been fulfilling its duties as Secretariat of ISO TC204 Intelligent Transport Systems, which provides a platform for automotive industry technical positions in the regulatory process.
For the first time in SAE history, two Congressional field hearings were held at the 2018 SAE Government /Industry Meeting in Washington, D.C. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on automated driving systems and federal policy, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on vehicle technologies. Nearly every expert testifying at the hearings were SAE standards committee members.
SAE International received a three-year contract from the Federal Highway Administration to develop intelligent transportation system and automated driving system taxonomy, convene technical workshops, and publish standards.
Numerous SAE International standards were referenced in the United States Department of Transportation publication, Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0. The report outlines how automated passenger and commercial vehicles, on-road transit, and the roadways will be safely integrated.
The annual contract with NHTSA for WMI/VIN Program administration was extended and six CRP projects were undertaken in the areas of ISO TC204 Secretariat administration, wireless power transfer, V2X mapping, mobile air conditioning, functional safety, clean cars, connectivity, and ITS standards support.
In addition, Global Ground Vehicle Standards has been awarded another contract to provide Automated Driving Systems and ITS Connected Vehicle Standards program support services to the Intelligent Transportation Systems Architecture and Standards Programs.
In June, Global Ground Vehicle and Aerospace Standards organized an Automated Flight and Driving Workshop in Sunnyvale, California. The goal was to open a dialog between two industrial sectors on standards support of automated technology development and identify common technical standards.
In September, SAE International went to Brussels to host Electrification: Evolution or Revolution?, a workshop on future battery technologies. The event brought together technical experts, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders from Europe, North America, and Asia to identify growth in cross-industry battery standards development.