The Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium launched this past April, with a mission to inform and accelerate the development of industry standards for automated vehicles.

The consortium convenes OEM and technology member organizations such as SAE International, Ford, General Motors, Toyota and Uber ATG. 

On Thursday, AVSC added to its consortium, announcing Daimler as its latest member.

AVSC said consortium members are collaborating on the development of best safety practices for responsible development and adoption of automated vehicle, or AV, technology ahead of broad deployment.

The consortium said the addition of the Daimler brands deepens the AVSC’s connection in the European market.

Daimler, according to AVSC, is currently incorporating various levels of AV technologies into its brands of passenger vehicles and trucks.

AVSC said Daimler is an advocate of strong testing and safety validation. Daimler, according to AVSC, has used AV technologies in the developing and testing passenger cars and trucks with SAE Level 4 intent ADS technology on public roads.

Consortium members are working on the development of a series of safety principles for SAE Level 4 and 5 automated driving systems.

They are focusing on testing before and during operation of AVs on public roads; data collection, protection and sharing; and interactions between AVs and other road users.

“Like all AVSC members, Daimler brings a longstanding commitment to collaboration to move the entire industry forward,” AVSC executive director Edward Straub said in a news release.

He added, “Daimler and its legacy brands are working to address pre-competitive industry-wide challenges on both sides of the Atlantic; their involvement with the AVSC expands the consortium’s global reach and expertise as we promote safe AV development and testing.”