This is underlined by a recent study by the market research institute Ipsos (commissioned by Audi): The respondents in China are 98 percent interested in autonomous driving, in the USA only 72 percent. With 77 percent, Germany is also well below the international average of 82 percent.
However, the respondents from all countries have one thing in common: The more miles they travel by car and the more they use mobility services, the more likely they can imagine leaving the driving task to their vehicles. In general, the willingness to do so is highest when driving on highways, in traffic jams, or when parking. These are exactly the situations in which smart assistance systems can initially assume command of the passenger car. On the other hand, vehicles that can navigate completely independently from point A to B are still far away. That’s because they are highly complex, very expensive and involve many open (legal) questions.
"In our estimation, autonomous driving after Level 4 or 5 will become established in the commercial vehicle segment initially, and urban passenger transport," says Wolf-Henning Scheider, ZF Chairman of the Board of Management. Self-driving shuttles, for example, can supplement existing urban public transport services and help to better connect rural areas to cities.
Safety and comfort advantages at an affordable price: ZF launched the coASSIST with Dongfeng Motor in China.
