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Get single vehicle approval for your ADAS/ADS on public roads with us.
What is required for single vehicle approval to safely operate ADAS-equipped vehicles on public roads?
The safe operation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) or Autonomous Driving Systems (ADS) in single vehicles on public roads requires a comprehensive approval approach. This includes defining the Operational Design Domain (ODD) to establish safe operating limits and extensive testing and validation through both physical and virtual methods.
To operate automated vehicles (AV) according to SAE L2+ automation (and higher) on public roads, vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, and mobility providers require AV individual vehicle approval from authorities in compliance with relevant regulations. In many countries like Germany, the USA, and China, autonomous driving (AD) approval for SAE L2+ automation for public roads has specific requirements.
TÜV SÜD helps AV manufacturers, suppliers, and providers to develop and implement a solid safety and cybersecurity concept with fail-safe mechanisms. This ensures their AVs will not have a negative impact on road safety and road smoothness.
Why single vehicle approval of ADAS/ADS for public road is important
Single vehicle approval for your vehicles equipped with ADAS technology gives you legal permission to test your autonomous driving vehicles in public and in real road conditions. Approval is granted by the relevant national authority on the basis of your test documentation showing that the necessary requirements have been met. This means you can validate the overall conformity, safety, and security of your vehicle automation functions thoroughly. Additionally, it facilitates the creation of a comprehensive safety concept, ensuring a smooth roll-out of your automated technologies. This helps you to sell your automated vehicles globally and increase your revenue.
How TÜV SÜD helps you to obtain single vehicle approval for your ADAS/ADS for public roads
TÜV SÜD is one of the leading experts in the field of automated driving. We support you to achieve single vehicle approval for your advanced driver assistance system and AD technology for public roads in your target markets. Our experts support you in the development of a safety and cybersecurity concept, or by validating your current ones. We have successfully applied our expertise to a variety of automated mobility solutions. Most of these have already been approved by authorities for use on public roads.
Our AV conformity assessments are adapted to your needs and are applied to individual vehicles for testing purposes. This includes automated bus shuttles, fleets, or mobility services. Our support builds on state-of-the-art safety standards such as ISO 26262, going beyond standard requirements by considering SOTIF, cybersecurity, and fail operational systems through a holistic safety and security evaluation. We introduce functional safety and SOTIF as the new ingredients in the approval process as well as cybersecurity, for which we developed an assessment method specifically tailored for automated vehicles.
Our expert assessments are tailored to meet your specific testing purposes and operational areas. We cover key elements of your vehicle’s functional safety and cybersecurity, in addition to traditional inspection aspects. If changes to the vehicle are made after the approval is completed, only the updates require an additional approval loop, rather than the entire automated vehicle. This offers you an efficient process when further developing your automated vehicles and ADAS technologies.What our services to gain single vehicle approval for your ADAS/ADS on public roads include
Our officially recognised TÜV SÜD experts support you to obtain AD approval for your vehicles.
Technical advice
Our global experts provide you with insights into the AV approval process. We help you to understand the relevance of single vehicle approval for automated vehicles equipped with ADAS or ADS. We also support you in selecting the relevant regulation for your approval needs.
Document preparation
We support you in the compilation of relevant documents for your approval application. We also carry out an overall check to ensure that the documents are complete.
Safety concept, cybersecurity concept, and test catalogue
To ensure sufficient functional safety and cybersecurity we provide you with insights about our inspection procedure. This includes reviewing the existing threat and hazard analysis, safety and security concept, design review, and test catalogue.
Requirements checklist
We clearly document in the checklist that your automated vehicles fulfill the required safety and cybersecurity functions.
AV conformity assessment
Based on the results, and the fulfilled safety and cybersecurity requirements, we provide a technical report. This evaluates the AV’s roadworthiness from a safety and cybersecurity point of view.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is single vehicle approval, and how does it differ from type approval for mass-produced vehicles?
Single vehicle approval is a certification process that assesses the compliance of an individual vehicle with specific safety and environmental standards required for legal road use in a particular country. This includes customised vehicles or imports without type approval. Type approval for mass production vehicles applies to an entire model range.
To register and operate the vehicle on public roads, TÜV SÜD’s experts ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and standards.
To register and operate the vehicle on public roads, TÜV SÜD’s experts ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and standards.
What are the key steps involved in obtaining single vehicle approval?
There are four key steps for obtaining single vehicle approval:
1. Application submission.
2. Detailed vehicle documentation.
3. Vehicle inspections and tests, covering safety, emissions, and roadworthiness aspects.
4. Addressing any identified issues or non-compliance areas.
TÜV SÜD supports you with comprehensive inspection and testing services to demonstrate compliance of your vehicles with relevant standards and regulations.
1. Application submission.
2. Detailed vehicle documentation.
3. Vehicle inspections and tests, covering safety, emissions, and roadworthiness aspects.
4. Addressing any identified issues or non-compliance areas.
TÜV SÜD supports you with comprehensive inspection and testing services to demonstrate compliance of your vehicles with relevant standards and regulations.
What are the common challenges faced during single vehicle approval?
Vehicles must meet all specific safety and environmental standards. Detailed and accurate documentation must also be provided, and any compliance issues addressed. If vehicles have been heavily modified, they may require additional testing or adjustment.
TÜV SÜD has in-depth understanding of the approval approach. We help you navigate the administrative and regulatory requirements to ensure a smooth single vehicle type approval process.
TÜV SÜD has in-depth understanding of the approval approach. We help you navigate the administrative and regulatory requirements to ensure a smooth single vehicle type approval process.
Can modifications be made to a vehicle after it has received single vehicle type approval?
To ensure continued compliance with safety and environmental standards, any significant changes may require re-assessment or re-certification. TÜV SÜD’s experts have many years of experience working with regulatory authorities across the world. We can help you to consult with them before making modifications. This will help you understand the potential impact on the vehicle's approval status, as well as confirm any additional testing or documentation that may be required.
