Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, vehicle operation safety may be enhanced. An environmental or weather condition (e.g., hail, storm, wind) may be identified that presents a hazard to an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle. With the customer's permission, when it is determined that the vehicle is parked in an unprotected location, a protected or covered location to park the vehicle may be identified, a route to that location may be determined, and the vehicle may be directed to travel automatically to the protected location under the operation of autonomous operation features. Insurance discounts or cost savings may be provided to risk averse insurance customers based upon the self-parking functionality that will reduce or mitigate damage to insured vehicles caused by adverse conditions, falling trees or power lines, hail, etc.

A system for analyzing the environment of a vehicle i) receives a plurality of data from at least one sensor associated with a vehicle, such that the plurality of data includes at least one environmental condition at a location; (ii) analyzes the plurality of data to determine the at least one environmental condition at the location; (iii) determines a condition of a building at the location based upon the at least one environmental condition; (iv) determines an insurance product for the building based upon the determined condition associated with the building; and (v) generates an insurance quote for the insurance product. As a result, the speed and accuracy of insurance providers learning about potential clients and the conditions of the potential client's property and needs is increased.

Among other things, information is received that identifies or defines a function-related feature of an environment of a vehicle. Function-related information is generated that corresponds to the function-related feature.

Driver assistance is provided. An issue corresponding to a driver of a vehicle is automatically identified based on analysis of collected data. A set of actions is selected to address the identified issue corresponding to the driver based on the analysis of the collected data and preference data of the driver. The driver is notified of the selected set of actions to address the identified issue corresponding to the driver.

Disclosed is a system and method for controlling a vehicle using a predetermined driving mode of a driving route. A vehicle includes an engine, a speed detector configured to detect a driving speed; a slope detector configured to detect a slope of a road. The vehicle further comprises a controller configured to control driving of the engine using a predetermined driving mode. While controlling the vehicle according to the predetermined driving mode, the controller obtains current road condition information based on the vehicle's driving speed and slope of the load, and determines whether the vehicle deviates from a route based on the current road condition information and reference road condition information. When it is determined that the vehicle deviates from the route of the predetermined driving mode, the controller ends the predetermined driving mode and starts a general driving mode.

A driver assist design analysis system includes a processing system and a database that stores vehicle data, vehicle operational data, vehicle accident data, and environmental data related to the configuration and operation of a plurality of vehicles with driver assist systems or features. The driver assist design analysis system also includes one or more analysis engines that execute on the processing system to determine one or more driving anomalies (e.g., accidents or poor driving operation) based on the vehicle operational data, and that correlate or determine a statistical relationship between the driving anomalies and the operation of the driver assist systems or features. The driver assist design analysis system then determines an effectiveness of operation of one or more of the driver assist systems or features based on the statistical relationship to determine a potential design flaw in the driver assist systems or features, and the driver assist design analysis system notifies a user or receiver of the potential design flaw.

Examples described may enable provision of remote assistance for an autonomous vehicle. An example method includes a computing system operating by default in a first mode and periodically transitioning from operation in the first mode to operation in a second mode. In the first mode, the system may receive environment data provided by the vehicle and representing object(s) having a detection confidence below a threshold, where the detection confidence is indicative of a likelihood of correct identification of the object(s), and responsive to the object(s) having a confidence below the threshold, provide remote assistance data comprising an instruction to control the vehicle and/or a correct identification of the object(s). In the second mode, the system may trigger user interface display of remote assistor alertness data based on pre-stored data related to an environment in which the pre-stored data was acquired, and receive a response relating to the alertness data.

Methods and systems are provided for operating a high voltage generator coupled to a plug-in hybrid vehicle driven by a reciprocating piston engine. In one example, a method may include, predicting variations in output torque from the reciprocating piston engine and adjusting the driving torque required for the high voltage electric generator based upon the predicted torque variations.

Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, the operating status of the features, the identity of a vehicle operator, risk levels for operation of the vehicle by the vehicle operator, or damage to the vehicle may be determined based upon sensor or other data. According to further aspects, decisions regarding transferring control between the features and the vehicle operator may be made based upon sensor data and information regarding the vehicle operator. Additional aspects may recommend or install updates to the autonomous operation features based upon determined risk levels. Some aspects may include monitoring transportation infrastructure and communicating information about the infrastructure to vehicles.

According to certain aspects, a computer-implemented method for operating an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may be provided. With the customer's permission, an identity of a vehicle operator may be identified and a vehicle operator profile may be retrieved. Operating data regarding autonomous operation features operating the vehicle may be received from vehicle-mounted sensors. When a request to disable an autonomous feature is received, a risk level for the autonomous feature is determined and compared with a driver behavior setting for the autonomous feature stored in the vehicle operator profile. Based upon the risk level comparison, the autonomous vehicle retains control of vehicle or the autonomous feature is disengaged depending upon which is the safer driverthe autonomous vehicle or the vehicle human occupant. As a result, unsafe disengagement of self-driving functionality for autonomous vehicles may be alleviated. Insurance discounts may be provided for autonomous vehicles having this safety functionality.