# Analysis of a Driving Simulator’s Steering System for the Evaluation of Autonomous Vehicle Driving

## TL;DR

The EVACH driving simulator accurately replicates real-world autonomous driving conditions, making it a reliable tool for studying driver behavior and human-machine interaction in semi-autonomous vehicles.

## Contribution

The EVACH simulator was customized and validated to reproduce SAE Level 2 and 3 driving modes with high fidelity for autonomous vehicle research.

## Key findings

- Calibration tests showed high fidelity in brake and steering control measurements, matching production vehicle performance.
- Simulated driving speeds closely matched real-world speeds with differences under 1 km/h and low variability.
- The simulator provides a stable and reliable virtual environment for autonomous driving research.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
The EVACH driving simulator, equipped with custom hardware and data acquisition systems, achieved precise calibration of the braking and steering controls.Comparative analysis between naturalistic tests and virtual simulations showed that the simulator reproduces autonomous driving speeds with fidelity and stability.

The EVACH driving simulator, equipped with custom hardware and data acquisition systems, achieved precise calibration of the braking and steering controls.

Comparative analysis between naturalistic tests and virtual simulations showed that the simulator reproduces autonomous driving speeds with fidelity and stability.

What is the implication of the main finding?
The EVACH simulator provides a robust and reliable platform for investigating driver behavior and human–machine interaction in SAE 2 and SAE 3 scenarios.Its validated calibration and reliable virtual environment enable safe, cost-effective, and versatile experimentation for future autonomous driving research projects.

The EVACH simulator provides a robust and reliable platform for investigating driver behavior and human–machine interaction in SAE 2 and SAE 3 scenarios.

Its validated calibration and reliable virtual environment enable safe, cost-effective, and versatile experimentation for future autonomous driving research projects.

The integration of autonomous vehicles (AVs) into road transport requires robust experimental tools to analyze the human–machine interaction, particularly under conditions of system disengagement. This study presents the primary controls calibration and virtual scenario validation of the EVACH autonomous driving simulator, designed to reproduce the SAE Level 2 and Level 3 driving modes in rural road scenarios. The simulator was customized through hardware and software developments including a dedicated data acquisition system to ensure the accurate detection of braking, steering, and other critical control inputs. Calibration tests demonstrated high fidelity, with minor errors in brake and steering control measurements, consistent with values observed in production vehicles. To validate the virtual driving rural environment, comparative experiments were conducted between naturalistic road tests and simulator-based autonomous driving, where five volunteers participated in the preliminary pilot test. Results showed that average speeds in the simulation closely matched those recorded on real roads, with differences of less than 1 km/h with minimum standard deviation and confidence values. These findings confirm that the EVACH simulator provides a stable and faithful reproduction of autonomous driving conditions. The experimental platform offers valuable support for current and future research on the safe deployment of automated vehicles.