Jul 10, 2023
Automated mobility solutions are being extensively tested in various forms. The legal framework was also adapted last year in Austria. With the monitoring report on automated mobility, AustriaTech presents current projects in and from Austria as well as international developments in a collected manner.
Self-driving shuttles, services for the first and last mile or new driver assistance systems: Automated mobility solutions can already be found in different areas of our everyday life. This year's monitoring report lists 15 projects and activities that cover all stages of implementation – from research and testing activities to real-life trials.
The cross-border view is also particularly interesting: The use cases from Scandinavia and the U.S. presented in the report show what opportunities can arise from the expansion of the legal framework and where a commercial operation of individual services already exists.
With the second revision of the "AutomatFahrVerordnung" (Austrian edict on automated driving), five additional use cases for testing automated mobility solutions have become available. In addition to the automated minibus, the self-driving army vehicle and the highway pilot with automatic lane change, the following test scenarios now also have a legal basis.
But pioneering innovations have also been made internationally. For example, EU Regulation 2019/2144 provides for mandatory driver assistance systems and safety features on all vehicle types and first registrations. As of January 2021, United Nations Regulation No. 157 came into force, defining a legal basis for level 3 systems for the first time.
In addition, the European implementing regulation for uniform procedures and technical specifications for the type approval of automated driving systems of fully automated vehicles came into force in september 2022.
The Federal Ministry for Climate Action set a more far-reaching legal framework with the "Digital Transformation in Mobility" action plan. The action plan contains measures to enable the regular operation of automated vehicles. "Driverless forms of mobility and the mixed operation that will take place between automated and non-automated vehicles in the coming decades entail modified and new legal requirements. The congruence of law and technology is a particularly important aspect here. In particular, to ensure a safe and sustainable implementation in our mobility system, Austria is well advised to ensure legal certainty at an early stage by expanding the legal framework.” Vincent Bretschneider, Head of Legal Staff at AustriaTech, concludes.
Further information on automated mobility in Austria can be found at the "Contact Point Automated Mobility".
