People have dreamed of self-driving cars for as long as there have been cars. The technology is now available – but we still have to drive ourselves to work every day.
“To take the next step, we need a national effort to show the way,” says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius, Head of Mobility and Systems Research at RISE.
Rules, not technology, stand in the way of automated vehicles
“It may have been technically possible, but there are challenges. One is the legal framework; for example, the Vienna Convention requires a driver to be in charge of the vehicle. This is just one of many examples of conditions that need to be changed,” says Peter Janevik, CEO of RISE’s proving ground AstaZero.
Autonomous vehicles are more demanding than human drivers
“A common assessment is that autonomous vehicles need to be ten times safer than a human driver. It is a question of acceptance, but also an ethical question,” says Peter Janevik.
Coordination needed in Sweden
“We need to create arenas where different actors from industry, transport customers and authorities work together to take further steps towards autonomous vehicles in traffic. I think we should take inspiration from countries in Europe and how they deal with these issues, rather than looking at China or the United States,” says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius.
Policies and business models are as important as technology
“In addition to the demonstration facilities where we can test the technology, RISE is also working on policy issues, business model issues and the interaction between people and technology. What we see now, in order to take the next step with self-driving vehicles, is the need for a national effort to show the way forward,” says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius.