On Thursday, May 23, SAE International hosted The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA) to discuss vehicle autonomy regulations. This group typically convenes in Geneva, Switzerland to hold such conversations, marking 2024 as a hallmark year for both the GRVA and SAE International.

Over 300 members from 55 countries attended the meeting, with 230 members making a physical appearance—This serves as the new record for GRVA meeting attendance.

“This has been very special for us,” said one participant. “This is not out usual meeting location and so got to have some very powerful in-person conversations. We may not have had them without this change of perspective.”

Participants had the opportunity to experience new automation firsthand via “Ride and Drives.” These included 16 vehicles and more than 500 driving experiences, and displayed a variety of Autonomous Driving System (ADS) technologies:

• ADAS and Autonomous Driving Solutions (Mobileye Supervisiontm)
• Safety Driven, Large-Scale Simulation (Foretellix)
• Hands-Free Driving Technology (Aptiv, BMW, Ford, GM)
• Interior Sensing Solutions (Bosch)
• Thermal Sensing Systems (Magna)
• Camera-Based Driver Monitoring System (Magna)
• Automated Driving Marker Lights (Mercedes-Benz)
• Automatic Lane Change Function (Mercedes-Benz)

“SAE pulled out all the stops for this session. This event will go down in history as far as GR-sessions go,” said a participant.

GRVA meets 3 times a year, and this convening at SAE’s Ground Vehicle headquarters has generated talk about where the next meeting may be held. Some participants suggested somewhere within the United Kingdom, while others speculated on Europe.

“Either way, the safety of automation is critical to our industry’s future,” said a participant, “SAE's committees are doing such good work—We should definitely do this again soon."