Autonomous

An E-Class development car will be used by Mercedes on local roads to collect data for research into autonomous and safety tech.

Andrew Chesterton road tests and reviews the new Mercedes-Benz E 400 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Ford will add night-time pedestrian detection to its new-generation UK-spec Fiesta model later this year and then roll the life-saving feature to other models through 2018.

Computing heavy-hitter Intel has purchased Israeli autonomous tech company Mobileye for $US15.3 billion.

Volkswagen has hinted at its plans for 30 electric models by 2025 with a hands-free, electrified concept car called Sedric shown at Geneva.

The car industry’s push towards autonomous cars has been put on show at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

If you're a bit scared of computers controlling your life, tune out now because in all likelihood, autonomous technology is already in your car, watching you and everything else.

Tesla has announced that the cars it's now building are able to drive themselves and all you need to do is get in and tell it where you want to go.Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the news overnight on Twitter and through the company's blog saying that its latest vehicles are being built with technology that will enable them to be fully autonomous."We're excited to announce that as of today, all Tesla vehicles produced in our factory – including the Model 3 – will have the hardware needed  for full self-driving capability at a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver," Tesla posted in its official blog.The number of cameras has been doubled from four to eight to give the car 360 degrees of visibility for up to 250m which Tesla says enables the car to pilot itself "in all circumstances at what we believe will be a probablity of safety at least twice as good as the average human driver."These cameras are supported by 12 updated ultrasonic sensors that can detect hard and soft objects almost twice as far away as the previous system. A forward facing radar with improved processing uses a redundant wavelength that lets it see through heavy rain, fog, dust and the car in front.All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go.An on-board computer with 40 times the computing power of the previous generation processes the data coming in from the camera, radar and sensors.Tesla's last generation optional Autopilot system was capable of self-driving, but needed careful supervision by the driver who could be there take over if needed – you can read our review of the self-driving Model S here. The new Enhanced Autopliot appears to be a major leap forward."The basic news is that all vehicles exiting the factory have the hardware for Level 5 autonomy – the cameras, the compute power. On the order of 2000 cars a week we have hardware capable of full self-driving autonomy," Musk said.SAE International defines Level 5 autonomy as the highest level of driving automation in which the vehicle can perform all aspects of dynamic driving under all conditions – both road and weather – than can be managed by a human.According to Tesla the Enhanced Autopilot will be available to download from December 2016."All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go. If you don't say anything, the car will look at your calendar and take you there as your assumed destination or just home if nothing is on the calendar," according to the Tesla website.A video released by Tesla of Enhanced Autopilot in action on public roads displayed the car's impressively ability to move through traffic and skilfully handle everyday situations such as busy intersections and highways before dropping off its passenger and then finding a place to park on its own.And in his true show man style Musk added in a tweet:"When you want your car to return, tap Summon on your phone. It will eventually find you even if you are on the other side of the country."

A car capable of being driven hands-free will arrive in Australia in 2018 but the maker is yet to convince local authorities to rubber stamp the technology for our roads.

Ford’s global chief Mark Fields made the bold statement overnight from the car-maker’s Silicon Valley-based research centre in the United States.“Ford will be mass producing vehicles with full autonomy within five years and that means there will be no steering wheels, no gas pedals and no brake pedals - a driver is not going to be required.“The next decade will be defined by automation of the automobile, and we see autonomous vehicles as having as significant an impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago. We’re dedicated to putting on the road an autonomous vehicle that can improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury cars.”The driverless vehicles will form an integral part of the company’s plan to offer a ride-sharing service.Ford said the cars will be level-four capable autonomous vehicles.The Society of Automotive Engineers classifies level-four autonomy as a vehicle with high automation that is able to perform all aspects of driving without human interaction. The most advanced cars currently on the road such as the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Tesla Model S are still only at a level-two stage of partial automation.To achieve its ambitious level-four ride-share goal Ford has acquired and invested in several research organisations and advanced tech companies including LiDAR sensor developers Velodyne; Israel-based computer learning operation SAIPS; machine vision researchers Nirenberg Neuroscience; and 3D mapping firm Civil Maps.In 2015 Ford announced its Smart Mobility plan, which includes autonomous vehicles, ride sharing and other transport services.Most recently Ford Australia made its move into the ride-share market by partnering with ride-sharing and parking service Carhood. The collaboration sees Ford providing vehicles to Carhood along with discounts to Ford owners who use Carhood.