New Delhi: Eminent road transport and road safety experts have stressed on the need of government framing a comprehensive regulatory framework and set of Standard Operating procedures (SoP’s) for the testing, deployment and operation of Autonomous Vehicles (AV) to meet the phased target and developing vehicles suited to country’s complex traffic conditions.
“India’s target for autonomous vehicles (AVs) involves a phased approach, aiming for widespread use of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) like lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control by 2030, followed by the introduction of Level 3 and 4 vehicles in specific urban areas and controlled routes by 2040. As India embarks on a mission to lead in autonomous mobility by 2047 Key goals include boosting market growth and developing AVs suited for India’s complex traffic conditions.” Said Dr P Rajalakshmi , professor Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation (TiHAN) at IIT Hyderabad while speaking at a lecture ‘Research & developments in Autonomous Vehicles in India -Their potential in road safety ‘ organised by India chapter of International Road Federation (IRF) .
“Country currently does not have a specific, explicit law or set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for deployment, and operation of autonomous vehicles. The existing legal framework, primarily the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the Indian Penal Code, 1960, does not directly address the unique challenges posed by autonomous technology and the issue of liability. A comprehensive regulatory framework that addresses the safety, liability, ethics, and data privacy concerns specific to autonomous vehicles. “ Dr Rajalakshmi said.
“TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad is working to strengthen industry collaboration, while also positioning itself as the country’s first dedicated autonomous vehicle testbed. We have developed a complete in-house autonomous driving stack. This proprietary system entirely designed, tested, and validated by the institute, includes multi-sensor fusion, perception algorithms, path planning, and control systems, representing a fully integrated end-to-end solution,” said Dr Rajalakshmi.
Expressing confidence in autonomous technology becoming mainstream in India, Dr. Rajalakshmi emphasised its relevance in areas where road safety is a critical concern. Human error remains the leading cause of road accidents. Even achieving Level 2 autonomy, with advanced driver assistance, can make a significant impact on safety, However, Level 4 and 5 autonomous technologies (where no driver intervention is required) are more viable for off-road use cases such as agriculture, mining, and port operations, rather than public roadways.
While seeing higher levels of autonomy (Level 4 and 5) as more viable for controlled off-road environments including agriculture, mining, port operations), she expresses confidence in autonomous technology becoming mainstream in India with appropriate regulatory frameworks and safety validations.
“As of 2024/25, many vehicles globally are still at Level 1 or Level 2 autonomy (i.e., driver-assistance systems), rather than full self-driving. Autonomous fleets (Level 4) are operational in select cities globally. The global AV market is projected to grow strongly: From about 17.7 million units in 2023 globally, expected to reach 53.2 million units by 2030. Sensor, AI and connectivity advances: LiDAR, radar, vision systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, and large-scale data/AI are pushing forward capabilities. But safety and reliability: achieving robust performance in all kinds of real-world conditions (weather, mixed traffic, edge cases) remains hard.” Said Mr K K Kapila, President Emeritus, International Road Federation (IRF)
“Regulatory & liability issues: laws, standards and frameworks for autonomous driving vary widely and are still evolving. Infrastructure & ecosystem: roads, connectivity, mapping, and vehicle-to-infrastructure integration are still catching up in many places. India is behind the leading global markets in terms of full autonomous deployment. The uptake of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) (Level 1/2) in India is growing.” Said Mr Kapila.