Audi Brings Level 4 And Level 5 Autonomous Concepts To Frankfurt

Audi has never been about building automobiles for the hoi polloi. That’s what corporate cousins Volkswagen and SEAT are for. It is focused on building premium transportation for folks of wealth and taste. Lately, it has been thinking about how to do that in the car market of the future, which will feature autonomous electric cars that drive themselves most if not all the time.

Audi Elaine Autonomous Concept

At this year’s Frankfurt auto show, Audi is showcasing two such concept cars — the Aicon, a Level 5 autonomous car with not pedals and no steering wheel, and Elaine, a refreshed version of the e-tron Sportback electric SUV that graced the Audi podium at the Shanghai auto show earlier this year. It is content with Level 4 autonomy, which is more likely to see use on public roads sooner.

“To get to full autonomy, auto innovators will need to be transparent about what automated technologies can and cannot do, and the timeline for their availability. Audi has been and will remain at the forefront of this technology, leading the transformation in mobility to bring greater safety to our roads, improve system-wide efficiency, and offer greater mobility.” Audi says in a press release from the Frankfurt show.

Since Shanghai, Audi has added a more powerful processor and upgraded the onboard sensors. The autonomous concept is now able to drive hands free at speeds between 35 and 80 miles per hour and can change lanes on its own, freeing the driver to attend to more important tasks like taking selfies along the way or checking e-mail. If drivers are willing to wear a fitness tracker, the car can accurately keep track of how tired or stressed they are. An in cabin display can guide them in breathing exercises and the seats can be configured to massage passengers to the beat of music. Oh, happy days.

The Audi Elaine concept features a 429 horsepower electric powertrain good for 0 to 100 kph sprints in 4.5 seconds. It has a 95 kWh battery and a 311 miles range in the New European Drive Cycle. Subtract about 30% to get an idea what its EPA range will be. Self parking and wireless charging are part of the package. Audi says the car will be able to park itself, charge the battery, or maybe visit a car wash independently after the owner exits the vehicle. Life is good, huh?

Audi Aicon Autonomous Concept

Audi’s Aicon concept is where the real action is at Frankfurt, though. This car is like a Google car that is all grown up. It never needs a hand on the wheel or a stab on the brakes as it lacks any controls whatsoever. The Aicon is designed for smooth, effortless high speed touring. Since the car will virtually eliminate collisions, passengers won’t need to wear seat belts, Audi claims, leaving them free to play Parcheesi or compose sonatas on their smartphones.

The car has four electric motors that produce a total of 350 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque. Electronically controlled active suspension at all four wheels and torque vectoring mean the Audi Aicon can traverse any kind of road in any kind of weather. Lightweight construction and advanced aerodynamics should allow the car to travel up to 500 (NEDC) miles on a single battery charge.The batteries operate on 800 volts and can be charged in less than 30 minutes. Wireless charging is also built in to the package.

The Aicon is no compact car. Its wheelbase is more than 9 inches longer than the Audi A8L, the largest car Audi currently makes. Interior roominess is emphasized as is an aggressive exterior that speaks of power and grace beneath its sculpted flanks. On dark nights, a mini-drone detaches from the car to guide passengers to the door at their destination.

The Audi Aicon is a technological tour de force, one that cossets is occupants in sumptuous surroundings whilst going over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house. Whether the world of automobiles in the future will need a car that makes such conspicuous consumption possible remains to be seen. Such splendiferousness seems quaintly at odds with the mundane tasks of commuting to work and buying groceries, but if the need exists, Audi has every intention filling it.

It’s good to know that opulence will not become outmoded as the world transitions to self driving electric automobiles that whoosh us quietly and serenely about as we perform our appointed tasks each day.

Elon Musk Says Level 4 System Ready In 2 Years

In a wide ranging interview with Fortune on his way to watch the SpaceX launch on Monday, Elon Musk said Level 4 autonomous driving will be possible within 2 years. Earlier this year, he told reporters he thought such capability was 5 to 6 years away. Why the change?

Musk tweeted a few weeks ago that he is looking for software engineers to work on Tesla’s Autopilot suite of autonomous driving programs, calling it a “super high priority.” The Autopilot project reports directly to him. What Elon wants, Elon gets. People at Tesla are accustomed to doing the impossible ahead of time and under budget. If you can’t do that, you don’t work there. Simple as that.

Elon Musk 

✔@elonmusk

We are looking for hardcore software engineers. No prior experience with cars required. Please include code sample or link to your work.

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Elon Musk 

✔@elonmusk

Should mention that I will be interviewing people personally and Autopilot reports directly to me. This is a super high priority.

8:46 PM - 19 Nov 2015

Level 4 autonomous cars must be able to “perform all safety critical functions for an entire trip. This includes both occupied and unoccupied vehicles,” according to the US Department of Transportation. Musk told Fortune that even though the software will be available in two years, it will take another year until regulators are convinced it is safe to use on public roads. “The point at which it becomes statistically clear that an autonomous car is safer, I think, regulators will be comfortable with allowing it,” he says.

During that year, the software will operate in “shadow mode,” comparing what it is programmed to do with what actually happens in real world driving. Using artificial intelligence algorithms, it will teach itself how to deal effectively with what Musk calls “corner cases.” Those are the millions of unknown and unknowable situations that human drivers face every day. The distracted pedestrian who dashes into traffic unesxpectedly. The skateboarder who completes a perfect Ollie but lands in the middle of a crosswalk. The moment when a car runs a stop sign or slips sideways on an icy road.

Tesla has already turned its cars into one of the most advanced artificial intelligence networks in history. All of its cars with the Autopilot suite of sensors and software installed learn from their daily driving experiences and share that knowledge with each other. If there is road construction in Terre Haute, your Tesla will know about it, even if you live in Walla Walla and are driving in Indiana for the first time.

That’s exactly the kind of learning Musk expects Tesla’s Level 4 systems will do while working in “shadow mode,” waiting for regulators to turn them loose on public roads. He expects the network to provide the data regulators will rely on when deciding Level 4 autonomy is safe.

Tesla will not have the field for self driving cars all to itself, however. Google and Ford have just agreed to a partnership to produce autonomous cars. Faraday Future will unveil its self driving car at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Apple is still poking around with its Project Titanprogram. NextEV is making noise in China. Atieva has secured major funding for its new car project. And Uber is hot on the trail of building its own autonomous cars, assuming Tesla won’t be supplying it with cars any time soon.

But Tesla expects to be the firstest with the mostest when it comes to self driving cars. Its Autopilot system is already years ahead of its competitors and getting smarter every day. If I was a betting man, I would put my money on Musk — to win.