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eliminates, for example, the need to read traffic signs because the system knows which instruction or command the sign is giving, as that information is associated with the sign’s position, which is stored in the system’s database. With signals that change state, such as traffic lights, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication is the answer, so the operating area must be equipped with connected traffic lights. Even when operating at Level 4 without a safety operator aboard, all the EZ10s in the worldwide fleet will be connected to a control centre. In EasyMile’s Toulouse facility, for example, large screens on the walls show what each vehicle is doing in its operating area, and the server contains maps of all the routes along which every vehicle can safely run. However, EasyMile does not take full control from the centre, as Pairot explains. “That would be a breach of safety, because of the risk that someone might hack the service to the vehicle,” he says. Evolving sensor suite Taking a conservative approach to the sensor suite, EasyMile uses devices from a number of market-leading suppliers but it is not committed to any particular technology or supplier, and regularly implements updates every four to six months, which can involve sensor changes. The current set of Lidars integrated into the Gen 3 EZ10 come from Velodyne, Valeo and Sick – indeed, the entire sensor set and the computer suite are new in the Gen 3 vehicle. The purpose of this change, Pairot explains, is to be able to see further and in greater detail. For example, the move to the Gen 3 specification included a change of Velodyne Lidar, from the Puck VLP- 16 to the Ultra Puck VLP-32, and its position was shifted from just below the headlights to the roof, expanding the envelope of protection it provides. The Ultra Puck offers a 120 m range, 360 º horizontal and 40 º vertical