Evaluation Tools for Low-Speed Automated Vehicle (LSAV) Transit Readiness of the Area

Automated shuttles are small, low-speed (generally less than 25 mph) vehicles that do not require a human operator, though to date all have included an onboard human attendant. This project aims to assess the limitations that the EasyMile EZ10 Gen 3 low-speed automated vehicle (LSAV) encountered while operating on public roadways. The primary interests are to evaluate the infrastructure elements that posed the most challenges for the LSAV during its deployment. Further, the EasyMile EZ10 Gen 3 is advertised as being capable of operating at SAE International Level 4 Automated Driving System capability in certain ODDs. Accordingly, the team deployed the LSAV with the expectation that it would be operated at SAE Level 2 capability. The human safety operator was required to intervene in scenarios beyond the vehicle’s automated functional capability. The results of this analysis indicated that the LSAV operated at a lower than expected speed, experienced a high frequency of disengagements, and had a regular need for safety operator intervention. These results suggest that the EZ10 Gen 3 vehicle is not yet operating at SAE International Level 4 capability on routes with moderate complexity.