Self-Driving Cars

In a report released from KPMG states that self-driving cars could be hitting our roads as soon as 2019. The new technology could provide solutions to some of our most intractable social problems—the high cost of traffic crashes and transportation infrastructure, the millions of hours wasted in traffic jams, and the wasted urban space given over to parking lots, and more.

In the early decades of the 21st century, the pace of innovation is speeding up and the automotive industry is on the brink of a new technological revolution: self-driving vehicles.

A recently released report from KPMG states that the new technology could provide solutions to some of our most intractable social problems—the high cost of traffic crashes and transportation infrastructure, the millions of hours wasted in traffic jams, and the wasted urban space given over to parking lots, just to name a few.

If self-driving vehicles become a reality, the implications would also be profoundly disruptive for almost every stakeholder in the automotive ecosystem. As one industry executive put it, “Everything from how we move goods to how we move ourselves around, is ripe for change.”

The report stresses the need for the technological convergence of sensor-based technologies and connected-vehicle communications that to enable truly autonomous vehicles. Based on their research, the report authors believe the technologies are likely to converge in the not-so-distant future.

Image Source: KPMG

Automotive suppliers and vehicle manufacturers believe a government mandate requiring that vehicles be equipped with V2V safety technology (just as seatbelts and airbags are now mandated) will be instrumental in motivating the automotive value chain to invest in developing convergence-related technologies. Any such mandate or series of mandates will also need to encompass criteria that will drive development across the industry.

Self-driving car timeline - Image Source KPMG

The US Department of Transportation USDOT has already launched a Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Program, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will use data from the pilot as important input for determining if a Notice of Regulatory Intent  (NRI) regarding V2V safety will be announced in 2013. NHTSA’s  regulatory approach could evolve along one or more of several possible paths: mandatory deployment of the technology, voluntary installation of wireless devices in new vehicles, or additional research and development. Nevada has already approved Google's self-driving car technology for the state.

An affirmative NRI in 2013 is likely to be succeeded by the release of specifications in 2014 or 2015. Assuming a four year vehicle development cycle, the first vehicles with built-in V2V and V2I capability could launch in 2019, perhaps sooner if manufacturers opt to pursue DSRC with or without a mandate.

According to the report, "the advantage of a mandate is that it would spur development across the industry and expedite adoption of convergence solutions."


SOURCE  KPMG Report - Self-driving cars: The next revolution

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