To keep up with automated vehicle technology advances and provide global engineering community common platform to work from, SAE International’s On-Road Automated Vehicle Standards Committee published the SAE Information Report: (J3016) "Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to On-Road Motor Vehicle Automated Driving Systems".

"Today's technological advancements in the automotive industry come at a high pace. This requires engineering standards to be applied much quicker,” Jack Pokrzywa, Manager, Ground Vehicle Standards, SAE International, said. “SAE International’s technical standards committees are doing a tremendous job in ensuring that consensus based process helps to apply new technology in vehicles worldwide.”

This Information Report provides a taxonomy describing the full range of levels of automation in on-road motor vehicles. It also includes operational definitions for advanced levels of automation and related terms. This document provides a foundation for further standards development activities and a common language for discussions within the broader “Automated/Autonomous Vehicle” community.

To access a complimentary table summarizing levels of automation for on-road vehicles, click here.

For more information or to purchase (J3016) "Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to On-Road Motor Vehicle Automated Driving Systems,” visit https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j3016_201401/.

SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 148,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™.