A Culture/Climate Examination of Autonomous Vehicle Technology In The United States

Autonomous Vehicle are coming. But mass adoption is at least ten years away according to consensus compiled from interviews conducted with industry thought lenders. Questions remain as to what technology those vehicles will contain as there is no universal platform for autonomous vehicle technology, since manufacturers, hardware and software companies are developing their own proprietary products. A/V technology is expected to improve productivity, and provide a plethora of societal benefits, but while we await the closure of the time gap the US will lose almost 40,000 citizens each year with traffic fatalities. Connected vehicle technology, which is currently completing pilot studies, has been shown to reduce automobile accidents. This technology is not as complex as autonomous vehicle technology and is available now. Semi-autonomous vehicles which is Level 1 through Level 3 on the Society of Automobile Executives (SAE) scale is available on American automobiles today and has proven to be very popular amongst consumers. Technology convergence of semi-autonomous vehicle and connected vehicles can bridge the time gap until mass adoption of autonomous vehicle and contribute to reducing annual traffic fatalities. Combining these technologies will give drivers additional safety features thus providing them with the opportunity of making better decisions