新推出的卡車安全評(píng)級(jí)測(cè)試旨在模擬現(xiàn)實(shí)世界的碰撞場(chǎng)景，并鼓勵(lì)OEM采用避撞技術(shù)，并改善駕駛員視野。
歐盟新車安全評(píng)鑒協(xié)會(huì)（Euro NCAP）透露了正在籌備的新卡車安全評(píng)級(jí)的部分內(nèi)容，以及打算如何測(cè)試卡車性能并設(shè)定基準(zhǔn)。在今年四月于德國(guó)慕尼黑舉行的NCAP24世界大會(huì)上，Euro NCAP向國(guó)際道路安全專家發(fā)表了這一聲明，并表示此舉旨在減輕重型卡車對(duì)道路安全的影響。根據(jù)其援引的數(shù)據(jù)，卡車僅占?xì)W盟道路車輛的3%，卻造成了近15%的道路死亡事故。
Euro NCAP表示，新推出的評(píng)級(jí)測(cè)試將在深度和執(zhí)行速度兩方面超越當(dāng)前的歐盟卡車安全法規(guī)。該機(jī)構(gòu)的目標(biāo)是推動(dòng)創(chuàng)新并加速主動(dòng)安全技術(shù)的采用，如自動(dòng)緊急制動(dòng)（AEB）和車道保持系統(tǒng)（LSS），同時(shí)平衡歐洲各商用車市場(chǎng)的需求。
“這是Euro NCAP卡車安全評(píng)級(jí)測(cè)試史上的重要時(shí)刻，”Euro NCAP秘書長(zhǎng)Michiel Van Ratingen在NCAP24大會(huì)上表示。“Euro NCAP規(guī)定卡車需要進(jìn)一步配備救生技術(shù)，特別是與避撞、視野和碰撞后救援相關(guān)的技術(shù)。此次在慕尼黑宣布的協(xié)議將于2024年5月正式發(fā)布，標(biāo)志著過(guò)去十年為乘用車開發(fā)的經(jīng)典測(cè)試方法將為設(shè)計(jì)更安全的未來(lái)重型卡車提供指導(dǎo)。”
新評(píng)級(jí)基于Euro NCAP的輕型商用車安全方案開發(fā)而成。所有協(xié)議和要求都由Euro NCAP的成員與測(cè)試機(jī)構(gòu)合作制定，并通過(guò)了制造商的審核。
Euro NCAP決定在評(píng)級(jí)正式發(fā)布前公開展示程序和要求，以鼓勵(lì)行業(yè)關(guān)注并采取相應(yīng)措施，Van Ratingen表示。一些主要的供應(yīng)商和汽車制造商已在NCAP24上展示了其最新的先進(jìn)安全技術(shù)，包括DAF、斯堪尼亞、沃爾沃和采埃孚。
“在過(guò)去一年間，我們與汽車制造商密切合作開發(fā)測(cè)試，并向歐洲各地的不同利益相關(guān)者進(jìn)行了咨詢，其中包括分銷商、運(yùn)輸公司、保險(xiǎn)公司、市政府、立法機(jī)構(gòu)和道路規(guī)劃?rùn)C(jī)構(gòu)，以全面理解提高卡車和道路安全的復(fù)雜性，”Euro NCAP戰(zhàn)略發(fā)展總監(jiān)Matthew Avery在一份聲明中表示。“未來(lái)的卡車安全評(píng)級(jí)將激勵(lì)行業(yè)進(jìn)一步提升卡車在城市和高速公路上的安全表現(xiàn)，并同時(shí)優(yōu)化運(yùn)營(yíng)安全和成本。我們的目標(biāo)是推行所有類型車輛安全方面的最佳實(shí)踐，而不僅僅是達(dá)到最低標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。”
卡車事故的具體情況往往因道路環(huán)境（城市或高速公路）以及碰撞對(duì)象（乘用車或弱勢(shì)道路使用者）而異。據(jù)Euro NCAP稱，卡車與弱勢(shì)道路使用者之間的事故目前占?xì)W盟所有死亡事故的25%。新測(cè)試旨在模擬現(xiàn)實(shí)世界的碰撞，并鼓勵(lì)制造商安裝避撞技術(shù)和改善駕駛員視野。Euro NCAP表示未來(lái)還將進(jìn)一步擴(kuò)展該測(cè)試，以納入碰撞保護(hù)的相關(guān)內(nèi)容。
“為提高卡車和道路兩方面的安全性，我們需要采取整體式的方法：從駕駛員行為和監(jiān)控到道路基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施，從采用目前用于乘用車的輔助駕駛技術(shù)，再到研究卡車的結(jié)構(gòu)及其在事故中的表現(xiàn)，”瑞典道路運(yùn)輸公司協(xié)會(huì)的Ulric Långberg表示。“我們?cè)皆缯J(rèn)識(shí)到卡車上的安全技術(shù)落后于乘用車，就能越早降低卡車的致命事故數(shù)量。”
今后，測(cè)試要求還將根據(jù)制造商提供的反饋不斷完善。Euro NCAP的卡車安全路線圖包括從2027年開始增加主動(dòng)安全操作要求，并從2030年開始對(duì)卡車進(jìn)行碰撞測(cè)試，以進(jìn)一步加強(qiáng)被動(dòng)安全保護(hù)。測(cè)試劃分不同行業(yè)，并重點(diǎn)關(guān)注城市配送、高速公路配送、長(zhǎng)途運(yùn)輸、翻斗車和垃圾車等車輛類型。Euro NCAP表示，第一版評(píng)級(jí)將于2024年11月發(fā)布。
Euro NCAP的Avery表示，新的卡車安全評(píng)級(jí)測(cè)試將是該行業(yè)的首次嘗試，旨在幫助貨運(yùn)行業(yè)的所有利益相關(guān)者正確識(shí)別和評(píng)估卡車的安全水平。“這不僅將提升駕駛員的安全性，還將為那些投資最安全車輛的運(yùn)營(yíng)商創(chuàng)造機(jī)會(huì)，無(wú)論對(duì)于保險(xiǎn)公司還是貨運(yùn)公司，該方案都將產(chǎn)生吸引力”。“Euro NCAP致力于通過(guò)打造一個(gè)安全市場(chǎng)，鼓勵(lì)制造商和供應(yīng)商進(jìn)一步開展創(chuàng)新，并隨著評(píng)級(jí)的發(fā)展不斷提升安全效益。”
Euro NCAP正在評(píng)估的關(guān)鍵安全技術(shù)包括智能速度適應(yīng)（ISA），該技術(shù)能夠使用攝像頭和GPS地圖自動(dòng)讀取限速信息并控制車輛速度。此外還有攝像頭監(jiān)控系統(tǒng)（即電子后視鏡），這種系統(tǒng)不僅能夠提供極為寬闊的視野，且圖像失真度也優(yōu)于傳統(tǒng)后視鏡，此外還可以集成盲點(diǎn)信息和預(yù)警系統(tǒng)。
Euro NCAP指出，另一項(xiàng)重要技術(shù)是弱勢(shì)道路使用者自動(dòng)緊急制動(dòng)（AEB VRU）系統(tǒng)，它可以預(yù)防三分之一的重卡與行人之間的碰撞事故。這些系統(tǒng)融合了攝像頭和雷達(dá)數(shù)據(jù)，能夠檢測(cè)到橫穿的行人、騎行者和滑板車騎行者，并向駕駛員發(fā)出警告或自動(dòng)剎車。Euro NCAP希望所有制造商都能安裝AEB VRU技術(shù)，但也指出，目前只有一家卡車制造商已將該系統(tǒng)投入生產(chǎn)。
斯堪尼亞發(fā)表聲明支持Euro NCAP的新重型卡車安全測(cè)試系統(tǒng)。斯堪尼亞卡車可持續(xù)運(yùn)輸負(fù)責(zé)人Jacob Thärnå表示：“我們將Euro NCAP的倡議視為我們開發(fā)過(guò)程中的一個(gè)新穎且有趣的方面。評(píng)估卡車的安全功能比評(píng)估乘用車要復(fù)雜得多。重型卡車種類繁多，而且設(shè)計(jì)目的各不相同。Euro NCAP從小規(guī)模開始測(cè)試并在后續(xù)過(guò)程中不斷學(xué)習(xí)的做法是明智的。”
Euro NCAP has revealed the elements it is considering as part of an upcoming Truck Safe rating, and how it intends to test and benchmark truck performance. The announcement was made to an audience of international road safety experts at the NCAP24 World Congress in Munich, Germany, in April. The action is intended to mitigate heavy trucks’ impact on road safety. The organization cited data showing that trucks are involved in almost 15% of all EU road fatalities but represent only 3% of vehicles on Europe’s roads.
Euro NCAP says the future rating scheme is designed to go further and faster than current EU truck safety regulations. The organization’s goal is to drive innovation and hasten the adoption of active-safety technologies such as automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems (LSS), while balancing the needs of the different commercial-vehicle sectors across Europe.
“[This] marks a significant moment in the development of Euro NCAP’s Truck Safe rating scheme,” Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general Euro NCAP, said at NCAP24. “Euro NCAP highlights the need for trucks to be better equipped with life-saving technologies, particularly related to crash avoidance, vision and aspects of post-crash rescue. The protocols announced [in Munich] that will be formally published [in May 2024] demonstrate that best-practice test methods developed over the last decade for passenger cars can be turned into useful guidelines for the design of future, safer heavy trucks.”
The new rating builds on Euro NCAP’s Light Commercial Van safety scheme. All protocols and requirements are being developed in collaboration with Euro NCAP members, test facilities and reviewed with manufacturers.
The organization decided to publicly present the procedures and requirements ahead of the rating to encourage the industry to take note and react accordingly, van Ratingen said. Major suppliers and vehicle manufacturers demonstrated their latest advanced safety technologies at NCAP24, including DAF, Scania, Volvo and ZF.
“Over the past 12 months, we have worked closely with vehicle manufacturers to develop the tests, and consulted with different stakeholders across Europe, including distributors, haulers, insurers, city authorities, legislators and strategic road organizations to fully understand the complexities of making trucks and roads safer,” Matthew Avery, director of strategy development at Euro NCAP, said in a statement. “The future Truck Safe rating will incentivize good safety performance in both cities and highways and allow optimization of operational safety and cost. Our aim is to progress towards best practice in all types of vehicle safety, rather than just meeting minimum standards.”
Tests emulate the real world
Truck accidents vary depending on the road environment (city or highway) as well as the collision partner (passenger car or vulnerable road user). Accidents between trucks and vulnerable road users (VRUs) currently account for 25% of all EU fatalities, according to Euro NCAP. The new tests aim to emulate real-world collisions and encourage manufacturers to fit collision avoidance technologies and improve driver vision. Euro NCAP says it will expand the program in the future to include crash protection as well.
“It’s about taking a holistic approach to making both trucks and roads safer: from driver behavior and monitoring to road infrastructure, to adopting assisted driving technologies currently available on cars, and looking at the structure of trucks and how they perform in accidents,” said Ulric Långberg of the Swedish Association of Road Transport Companies. “The sooner we recognize that safety technologies on trucks lag behind those on cars, the quicker we will be able to reduce the number of fatal accidents involving trucks.”
The requirements are expected to evolve as manufacturers provide feedback on the tests. Euro NCAP’s Truck Safe roadmap includes increased active-safety maneuvering requirements starting in 2027, and the crash testing of trucks to encourage better passive safety protection commencing in 2030. The vehicles will be tested by sector and will focus on city delivery, highway distribution, long haul, and tipper and refuse trucks. The organization says initial ratings will be released in November 2024.
The new Truck Safe rating scheme will be a first for the sector and will enable all stakeholders in the freight industry to identify and assess the safety level of trucks, according to Euro NCAP’s Avery. “Not only will this deliver enhanced safety for drivers but also create opportunities for those operators that invest in the safest vehicle, making the scheme attractive to insurers and freight shippers alike,” he said. “In creating a market for safety, Euro NCAP will encourage manufacturers and suppliers to innovate further, increasing the safety benefits as the ratings evolve.”
Key safety technologies being assessed by Euro NCAP include Intelligent Speed Adaptation, which uses cameras and GPS mapping to automatically read the speed limit and control the vehicle’s speed, and camera monitor systems (aka eMirrors) that present a large field of view with less image distortion than traditional mirrors and can be integrated with blind spot information and warning systems.
Another important technology, AEB VRU systems, could prevent a third of all heavy-truck-to-pedestrian crashes, according to Euro NCAP. These systems fuse camera and radar data to detect crossing pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders, and warn the driver or automatically brake the truck. Euro NCAP wants all manufacturers to fit AEB VRU technology but notes that only one truck maker has a system in production.
Scania put out a statement welcoming Euro NCAP’s new system for safety testing of heavy trucks. “We see the Euro NCAP initiative as part of a new and interesting aspect in our development processes,” said Jacob Thärnå, head of sustainable transports at Scania Trucks. “Assessing safety-related functionality in trucks is a lot more complicated task than it is for passenger cars. Heavy trucks are very diverse, and they are made that way for a reason. Euro NCAP’s approach to start on a small scale and learn as they go is a wise decision.”
歐盟新車安全評(píng)鑒協(xié)會(huì)（Euro NCAP）將測(cè)試新型車道保持系統(tǒng)，該系統(tǒng)不僅能對(duì)卡車無(wú)意間偏離車道時(shí)發(fā)出警告，還能通過(guò)主動(dòng)操控阻止其發(fā)生。（Euro NCAP）
Euro NCAP認(rèn)為，AEB 可以更有效地幫助減少卡車追尾時(shí)的死亡人數(shù)。（Euro NCAP）
沃爾沃的側(cè)向防撞安全系統(tǒng)在卡車的兩側(cè)各安裝了一個(gè)雙雷達(dá)，當(dāng)其他道路使用者進(jìn)入盲點(diǎn)區(qū)域時(shí)，雷達(dá)就會(huì)檢測(cè)到。（Euro NCAP）
MAN的TGX卡車用一個(gè)較小的攝像監(jiān)控系統(tǒng)（或稱eMirror）取代了實(shí)際的后視鏡，該系統(tǒng)視野更大，圖像失真更少。（Euro NCAP）
斯堪尼亞對(duì)Euro NCAP的安全測(cè)試方法表示贊賞，該方法最初側(cè)重于避免碰撞和駕駛員視覺系統(tǒng)。主動(dòng)安全要求將會(huì)提高，被動(dòng)安全保護(hù)的碰撞測(cè)試將在未來(lái)的迭代中進(jìn)行。（Euro NCAP）