The Government is working on a draft royal decree on fully automated vehicles promoted by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) that will allow driverless cars to circulate in Spain starting next year. The rule will represent a qualitative leap that will put the country at the level of other large European economies such as Germany and France, which are accelerating regulation in this area.
The DGT, dependent on the Ministry of the Interior, is preparing the regulation, which among other things will regulate levels 4 and 5 of autonomous driving, which implies that “the vehicle can move without a driver,” the deputy deputy director general of Organization vehicles, Susana Gómez, at a meeting organized by the Anfac manufacturers association. “The desirable thing is that in 2024 the royal decree sees the light.”
The forecast is that the rule, whose process will soon be open to allegations and reports from organizations involved, will be approved in the second half of next year and that, from that moment on, vehicles approved for this purpose will be allowed to circulate. throughout the national territory. What is foreseeable, according to the DGT, is that this technology will take time to be commercialized, although it will be possible to see some private operators carrying out tests on Spanish streets and highways.
The DGT has already prepared a draft of the standard in which it establishes the obligations for the owners of the computer systems, the functionalities of the new technology and the certification procedures, which will be carried out by an external agent.
Gómez explained that one of the challenges of regulation has to do with responsibility. “Insurers must be made easier to calculate policies,” to resolve “the dilemma about whether it is the responsibility of the driver or the vehicle.” “It is not a simple issue, but we foresee a transfer system towards a more transversal responsibility, which goes from the owner of the system to the software developer,” he explained.
According to Anfac calculations, of the cars that were marketed last year in Spain, 70% have an automation level of 0 or 1, that is, very rudimentary. 28% have level 2 and 2% have level 3. However, level 4 cars, the so-called ‘mind off’, in which the driver only intervenes in very specific areas, or level 5, are still not sold. , the ‘driverless’, without human participation.
Anfac considers that more than 30% of the commercial offer could reach a potential automation status of 4 or 5 in the future. “There are already brands that allow it,” indicated its general director, José López-Tafall.
Current regulations do not allow driving in Spain at level 3 or higher. This level 3 is known as ‘eyes off’ and in it the driver can decide that the automated driving system takes control of the vehicle and performs all driving functions, although with certain limitations.
Anfac considers that, although circulation at levels of 4 or 5 will begin to be allowed in 2024, “the deployment will occur progressively.” In California or Singapore this type of technology is not only operational, but the first robotic taxis, the ‘robotaxis’, have already begun to operate.
This Tuesday, the Council of Ministers approved a royal decree that extends until July 31, 2024 the aid for the purchase of an electric car included in the Moves III plan. The expiration date of the program was originally scheduled for December 31 of this year.
With the measure, indicates the Ministry of Ecological Transition, “sustained support for the electrification of transportation is maintained and the summer period in which the annual peak in automobile sales is recorded is covered.”
Moves III is endowed with 1,200 million euros, after registering two budget increases due to the number of requests received. The objective was to reach 238,000 requests for help for electric vehicles and charging points in 2023, but there are already more than 250,000 requests registered and about 290 million are still available to continue meeting demand.
The Government indicates that these types of measures are key if we want to achieve the objective of having 5.5 million electric vehicles in circulation by 2030.
Anfac manufacturers value this extension “very positively”, which “avoids paralyzing sales of electrified vehicles” and “allows us to continue working with administrations to improve the effectiveness of future plans.”
Spain continues to lag behind in the incorporation of electrified vehicles: it is already equivalent to 12% of new passenger car sales this year, but the percentage is still far behind the European average, of 21%. In Portugal it already reaches 28%.
