As discussed in the legal update on autonomous vehicles here, the Government is moving forward with a rolling programme of reform to allow highly autonomous, and eventually fully autonomous, vehicles to operate on the UK roads. What is happening outside of the legal and insurance arguments?
Government has shown much commitment to this sector and for good reason – a report in 2015 by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said autonomous vehicles and supporting systems could boost the UK economy by £51bn a year by 2030, and create up to 320,000 jobs. Other commitments include:
The four city projects have been undertaking in-depth research into attitudes, driving behaviours and societal implications for the change to autonomous vehicles, which is of course as important as the technology that is available.
Consumer attitudes have been a big stumbling block, with perceptions often being very wary. But as we come closer to highly autonomous vehicles being seen on the road, and people become used to new technology currently used in vehicles, it appears that we are warming to the idea. A survey by NFDA Trusted Dealers of 2,000 UK car drivers compared attitudes between 2015 and 2016, and found that around half of respondents are now open to the idea of using driverless cars, as opposed to 34% in 2015. Another survey by Opinion Matters/EPSRC for UK-RAS Network said that 71.8% of respondents felt that driverless cars would have a positive impact on everyday commuting, and 26.1% believe the biggest benefit will be a reduction in the number of accidents.
Indeed, a recent DfT study analysed the effect of driverless cars on the road, using a computer modelling system to look at what the impact is as the proportion of driverless cars increases. The study showed that driverless cars could significantly reduce delays, especially when it reaches a point where there are more autonomous vehicles than not.
From a global perspective companies such as Google and Apple are vying for the top spot, and of course car manufacturers are also using their knowledge and wealth to try and be the first to market. Volvo and Uber have announced a $300m investment in a project to develop ‘base’ vehicles which Volvo will produce and Uber will purchase, both fitting their own self-driving technology. Ford announced in summer 2016 they would develop autonomous vehicles without steering wheels or pedals and have them on the road in five years. Volvo have also announced a ‘Drive Me London’ initiative, where they plan to “have real customers and their families in 100 self-drive Volvos in the UK within two years.” Tesla are also a major manufacturer involved, although a fatal accident involving their car continues to be investigated.
This is a market with huge potential, and huge obstacles to break down. The UK Government has quite rightly been vocal about keeping the UK ahead of the market in terms of knowledge and investment in this area.
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