Driverless cars are on course to generate €17 trillion for the European economy by 2050, according to new research.
Fully ‘autonomous vehicles’ are predicted to be providing fully ‘hands-off’ door-to-door transport on the road within the decade.
Nissan Europe polled 6,000 people in UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Norway to discover their attitudes to driverless motors.
Freedom to do things other than driving was voted the biggest benefit – no surprise as four out of five confessed to already ‘multi-tasking’ while at the wheel.
Reading books or catching up on news is what most of Europe said they’d do with their extra time in the car, followed by sleeping, doing paperwork and watching TV or films.
The survey also revealed that almost a quarter of those planning to buy a car in five or more years would consider an autonomous car.
Improved mobility for everyone was voted one of the biggest benefits, followed by a reduction in accidents caused by human error and the removal of unsafe or bad drivers from the road.
Fewer car accidents and lower stress levels were rated equally as the top health benefits.
“This independent report highlights that we are in the midst of a social and economic revolution,” said Paul Willcox, Chairman of Nissan Europe.
“It shows that autonomous technology will have a fundamental impact not just on the automotive industry but across European economies and societies and it suggests that leadership within all levels of government is needed.
“At Nissan we believe, for the full benefits of autonomous drive technologies to be realised, governments and municipalities across Europe should review the report’s findings, work hand in hand with the automotive industry, and play a vital role in ushering in this new technological era.”
The report also highlights the key steps that need to be taken by governments and regulators to overcome technological and social challenges of driverless motoring.
The new independent economic analysis shows that autonomous vehicles will start adding 0.15% to Europe’s annual growth rate in the decades to come.
As a result, the European gross domestic product [GDP] will, cumulatively, be over five per cent higher in the year 2050, by which time autonomous vehicles will have contributed a total of €17 trillion to GDP.
“What’s clear from the research is that political decisions makers across Europe need to prioritise autonomous vehicle policies to create a favorable environment that will see this technology flourish,” Willcox added.
“The customers want it, and are starting to see the benefits of an autonomous future, but we need the right legislative environment to enable this exciting new era of mobility to thrive.
“We strongly advocate that policy makers continue to work collaboratively with industry, so that together we can ensure that the many social and economic benefits highlighted today are made a reality in Europe.”
However, the research also revealed that 48% of people said the biggest disadvantage of autonomous cars was the possibility of a malfunction, followed by not having full control of the vehicle and putting taxi drivers out of a job.le and putting taxi drivers out of a job.
The post Autonomous cars: cash boom predicted appeared first on Automotive Blog.
from Automotive Blog http://www.automotiveblog.co.uk/2016/12/autonomous-cars-cash-boom-predicted/
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