SAE International Unsettled Topics Concerning User Experience and Acceptance of Automated Vehicles

This SAE EDGE Research Report addresses the unsettled topic of user acceptance of automated driving, analyzing the user experience for a more intuitive and safe driving experience. Unsettled Topics Concerning User Experience and Acceptance of Automated Vehicles examines the requirements for safer driver/user engagement with driving for the various SAE automation levels. It analyzes consumer sentiment toward automated driving - both consumer excitement about the perceived benefits and dislikes or concerns about the technology. The findings from surveys about drivers' experience with advanced driving assistance technologies and its application to automated driving is also brought to the surface of the discussion, together with driver profiles observed during a user-centric experience in an immersive automated driving cockpit. Unsettled Topics Concerning User Experience and Acceptance of Automated Vehicles proposes - through a trust pyramid representation - a means of gradually increasing user trust through careful human-machine interface (HMI) delivery with appropriate levels of information that communicate safe driving. Ultimately, the goal is to build up user confidence levels in safe automated driving so that their time can be spent on entertainment or other non-driving tasks.