Dr Siddartha Khastgir is an automotive engineer on a mission to bring self-driving cars to a safe reality. He is the Head of Verification & Validation (V&V) of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) at WMG, University of Warwick. He is the technical lead for WMG on various collaborative research and development projects.
In an interview with Asian Voice, he shares how the automotive world can aid climate change and environmental conservation.
How has your work in CAVs and climate change shaped your professional journey and outlook on the future?
With work in CAVs taught me two things: 1) the journey (of finding a solution) is as important as the destination (the solution itself); and 2) the need for a holistic (systems engineering) approach to problem solving. Every problem is multi-faceted, but most solutions are optimised for only one or few aspects. This leads to surprises and our inability to cope with them. Both CAV and Climate Change are multi-faceted challenges which require a holistic approach, rather than a siloed singular technology focus.
For instance, advocating solely for vehicle electrification, though logical, overlooks crucial aspects. If all vehicles in London were electric, the current electricity grid couldn't support the demand for charging. This infrastructure limitation has already tempered the adoption of electric vehicles. Therefore, mainstreaming EVs requires not only advancing technology but also addressing infrastructure challenges, emphasising the role of people and their behaviours in the process.
I strongly believe people are core to any technological developments, and their needs should be taken into account as part of a holistic approach to technology introduction.
What are some of the critical standards being developed to ensure that autonomous vehicles contribute positively to climate change efforts?
Safety of autonomous vehicles (CAVs) remains the biggest challenge for the industry and the regulators. As a result, the most critical standards for CAVs are the ones that focus on proving safety of the CAV. One such example is the ISO 34503 which is a foundational international standard for safety of CAVs and lays the requirements for objectively defining the capabilities of the CAVs. I had the good fortune of leading this activity and grateful for its international acceptance by industry.
Additionally, AI is a key component of any CAV, as part of their safety critical decision-making process. Another key area of standards is on proving safety of AI in CAVs. There is lots of international activity on AI Governance and AI policy which is more cross-sectoral and philosophical. However, the industry needs sector specific AI standards, especially for domains like CAVs, where the implications are safety critical. New standardisation activities have started at ISO on proving its safe use and responsible development for CAVs. While it remains an open question, but is also an area of international collaboration.
With your diverse industrial experience in India, Germany, and the UK, how do you see different regions approaching the integration of CAVs in their climate strategies? Are there particular innovations or policies from one region that you believe should be adopted globally?
There are three main aspects:
- Collaboration: Most countries have finally realised that challenges associated with CAVs, and Climate Changes can’t be solved by them individually. Collaboration between countries is no longer a choice to make but a necessity for success. There is a need to have global learnings to shape local solutions. For example, there is increasing collaboration between over 50 countries at the United Nations Economic Cooperation for Europe (UNECE) regulatory forums to co-create future regulations for ensuring safe CAVs. I am fortunate to be part of this group to provide the research evidence to underpin the regulations.
- Communicating with public: In today’s hyperactive social media world, information (and misinformation) spreads like wildfire. Governments needs to take a proactive approach in accurately shaping the narrative for future policy and technology introduction. Such communication needs to be underpinned by strong research evidence and done in an inclusive and accessible manner.
- Taking a holistic approach to use case identification: CAVs can have many shapes and forms. From personal car ownership to public transport for people or goods on public or private land. Key to success of CAVs and their integration in the transport infrastructure to help tackle Climate Change, is to take a holistic approach to identify use cases that are both commercially and economically viable.
Climate change is a multidisciplinary issue requiring collaboration across various fields. How do you see the role of interdisciplinary partnerships in advancing CAV technology and achieving climate goals?
Introducing any technology today demands a multidisciplinary approach that prioritises the end user—the public—often overlooked in stakeholder discussions. Embracing a people-first approach is crucial for designing technologies and regulations. In our interconnected world, adopting true systems thinking across research, design, processes, and policymaking becomes essential. For emerging technologies like CAVs, electrification, and AI to effectively combat climate change and positively impact lives, we must integrate the public into our system considerations. This approach naturally fosters inclusive and accessible products and services, rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought.
Addressing climate change requires collaboration beyond engineers and policymakers alone. It demands informed contributions from diverse stakeholders and multidisciplinary researchers, centering discussions and decisions around the end user. By fostering interdisciplinary partnerships, we harness expertise across fields to innovate solutions for climate challenges swiftly and effectively.
