Autonomous vehicles are talked about on a daily basis within the industry, and in the future have the potential to revolutionise the lives of drivers, not only enabling them to hand over the wheel, but also use their time while in the car in a completely different way.
The opportunities provided by self-driving cars in the future was a topic addressed by Jan-Maarten de Vries, Vice President of Automotive Product Management & Marketing at TomTom, in a recent Automotive Megatrends webinar entitled ‘How TomTom Enables Highly Autonomous Driving’.
“We at TomTom believe autonomous cars are very much real and are on their way to becoming a reality,” explained de Vries. “Autonomous cars will have a big effect on how people will spend time in the car and has the potential to transform mobility, as well as safety and efficiency.”
Autonomous cars undoubtedly represent an industry paradigm shift, and de Vries noted that they will not only impact the automotive industry itself but also society at large. “Today one person dies every 25 seconds as a result of car accidents. More than 90% of those accidents are caused by human errors. Automated vehicles will not only be friendlier for the environment and cause less pollution but will mean less congestion and safer roads,” he noted.
Providing mobility
De Vries explained that autonomous cars will free up people in terms of spending time differently. It will also open up transport options for those who are currently excluded from driving a car.c “For this reason, the impact of autonomy goes way beyond the car itself,” he noted. “In fact, we expect that society will change completely as a result of the functionality.” Autonomous cars will also result in an ownership shift from buying and owning the car to ‘using’ the car to move from A to B.
Wind in your hair
While autonomous cars can revolutionise the way drivers spend their time while in the car, many believe that the possibility of cars to completely drive themselves will result in a loss of the joy and freedom that comes with driving. “Basically, people like driving. Self-driving cars may mean a loss in this driving buzz,” said de Vries. “Despite this, there is no doubt that self-driving cars will provide improved mobility, more freedom, and safer roads.”
As well as the potential to take away the traditional joy of driving, de Vries addressed the question of whether consumers actually want self-driving cars, and whether he thinks the industry is considering the voice of the consumer in its move towards full autonomy.
“We look at consumer needs in all stages of development at TomTom,” said de Vries. “Consumer adoption is still a tricky area. The fun of driving and whether it will be taken away is not a question we should underestimate,” noted de Vries. “But we believe it will be overcome – it is a question of user experience and introducing the right technology, as well as creating the right trust and making sure the systems are safe and can be trusted.”
He concluded, “The benefits of self-driving cars will outweigh the disadvantages.”
Rachel Boagey
