SVO.Auto — Special Vehicle Operations

SVO.Auto — Special Vehicle Operations

Safety-driver training and test fleet services for autonomous vehicle developers, 2017–2020

About

A Simraceway spin-out

SVO.Auto trained safety drivers and ran test fleet operations for autonomous vehicle developers. It was spun out of Simraceway in 2017 and operated as a business unit of Emotive Experiential Performance Inc., set up to focus on the specific needs of AV customers and grow that segment. Waymo was its first partner. The business line was sold in 2020.

A retired Google self-driving Firefly, an SVO.Auto Chrysler Pacifica test vehicle and an SVO.Auto-liveried Simraceway Formula car
The retired Google self-driving Firefly, loaned to the team for long-term display as a thank-you for their work on Google's self-driving project, alongside an SVO.Auto test vehicle and a Simraceway Formula car.

Origins

Built on two companies

SVO drew on both halves of Simraceway, which had been training autonomous vehicle test drivers since 2009, when it trained the first members of Google's self-driving team.

Simraceway Performance Driving Center

North America's leading racing and performance driving school, based at Sonoma Raceway. It brought the physical driver-training expertise and a technician training programme that had trained more than 2,700 motorsport mechanics.

Simraceway (Ignite Game Technologies)

An online motorsport simulation built from LIDAR-scanned circuits and real-world vehicle physics. It brought expertise in simulation, LIDAR and associated technologies.

Simraceway on Wikipedia

Both companies were founded by Jonathan Haswell.

Founding insights

Why SVO existed

  • 01

    AV testing is a permanent need, not a transitional one.

  • 02

    Testing is easy to start and difficult to scale.

  • 03

    Cost per mile would be everything.

  • 04

    Today's test operations managers are tomorrow's monetisation experts.

Diagram comparing traditional automotive testing (about 100 vehicles and 500,000 miles per model, upfront) with autonomous vehicle testing (100 vehicles per city and 100+ million miles, continuous over the vehicle's life)
From the SVO deck: traditional vehicle testing is upfront and finite; AV testing is continuous for the life of the vehicle.

What SVO did

Services

AVOL certification

Developed the Autonomous Vehicle Operator License (AVOL), a three-stage training and certification programme for AV test operators.

Test fleet operations

Sourced, trained and managed test operators for AV developers, including some of the first outsourced test fleet programmes in the industry.

Driving skill testing

Independent third-party testing of AV driving skill, safety and ride comfort.

Vehicle dynamics training

Taught AV software engineers how vehicles actually behave at the limit.

Technician training

Mechanical and systems training for technicians supporting AV test fleets.

Test programme risk consulting

Health, safety and risk management for teams opening and running AV testing locations.

Simulation

3D simulation for vehicle dynamics, fault-injection testing and operator refresher training.

SVO.Auto Chrysler Pacifica autonomous vehicle test unit

Timeline

2009–2020

  1. 2009

    Simraceway trains the first members of Google's self-driving team.

  2. 2013

    The 1,000th AV safety driver is trained.

  3. 2016

    350 test drivers sourced, trained and deployed in three months. Operations open in Pittsburgh and Arizona.

  4. 2017

    SVO.Auto is spun out of Simraceway.

  5. 2018

    1,706 safety drivers trained for Waymo. Outsourced test fleet operations launch.

  6. 2019–2020

    Part of the SAE International group that defined SAE J3300, Driving Level Skill Certification (published 2020), and worked on its planned automated driving endorsement for AV fallback test drivers (J3300/3). It followed the team's own AVOL program.

  7. 2020

    The SVO business line is sold.