Automated Cars - Alex Euhus

In the not-so-distant past, the idea of a car that could drive itself seemed like science fiction. But in 2025, automated cars are no longer just a concept: they’re a reality shaping the roads, industries, and cities of tomorrow. Powered by advances in artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering, and data science, these self-driving vehicles are not only transforming how we move but also redefining the very meaning of transportation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

Automated car, also called autonomous or self-driving vehicles, use a combination of sensors, cameras, radar, LIDAR, and AI algorithms to perceive their surroundings and make real-time driving decisions.

The levels of automation range from:

Level 0: No automation (human fully in control)

Level 1-2: Assistive features (e.g., lane keeping, adaptive cruise control)

Level 3: Conditional automation (car can drive itself under specific conditions)

Level 4-5: High to full automation (no human input required at all)

As of 2025, many companies are testing and deploying Level 4 vehicles in controlled environments such as shuttle services and delivery robots in urban areas. These vehicles are using 4 groundbreaking characteristics.

1. AI-Based Decision-Making

Machine learning models—especially deep neural networks—help automated cars understand road conditions, identify pedestrians, and even predict the behavior of other drivers.

2. High-Definition Mapping

Companies like Tesla, Waymo, and Nvidia are developing ultra-detailed 3D maps that help autonomous cars localize precisely, even in complex urban environments.

3. Sensor Fusion

Modern self-driving systems combine LIDAR (for precise 3D scanning), radar (for distance), cameras (for visuals), and ultrasonic sensors (for close proximity) to build a full 360-degree awareness of the environment.

4. Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Communication

New cars are being equipped with systems that communicate not just with other vehicles, but also with traffic lights, infrastructure, and even pedestrians’ smartphones—greatly enhancing safety and coordination.

In 2025, companies such as Waymo, Cruise, Zoox, and Tesla are all testing their own versions of automated cars. Waymo has launched a fully driverless taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona, with plans to expand to Los Angeles and Austin. Cruise (a GM company) has deployed autonomous electric cars in San Francisco for nighttime driving and is slowly expanding operational hours. Amazon’s Zoox is testing self-driving pods with no steering wheel, built from the ground up for autonomy. Tesla continues to push its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software toward full automation, using its massive fleet to gather driving data.