Skip to main content

Autonomous vehicles are everywhere says report

A new IDTechEx report, Autonomous Vehicles: Land, Water, Air 2015-2035 claims autonomous vehicles are successful here and now but you are unlikely to meet one because the successes are in the upper atmosphere, open cast mines, nuclear power stations, underwater and in other relatively inaccessible places. It goes on to explains that the primary technology of an autonomous vehicle is that which confers autonomy and the powertrain, which is usually electric. The powertrain and navigation and control technolo
March 20, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
RSSA new 6582 IDTechEx report, Autonomous Vehicles: Land, Water, Air 2015-2035 claims autonomous vehicles are successful here and now but you are unlikely to meet one because the successes are in the upper atmosphere, open cast mines, nuclear power stations, underwater and in other relatively inaccessible places.  It goes on to explains that the primary technology of an autonomous vehicle is that which confers autonomy and the powertrain, which is usually electric.

The powertrain and navigation and control technology of autonomous vehicles are rapidly evolving with every element likely to change radically and many merging; indeed it is already happening right through to structural electronics where the load-bearing bodywork doubles as electrical and electronic components and circuits.
 
This is good news and bad news for autonomous vehicles. Good news in that functionality and affordability will improve but bad news in that long term testing is irrelevant when everything is frequently changing disruptively. What use is a five year test on a radar when a Lidar replaces it? What to do with long term tests on a battery when it is replaced by one of the new lithium-ion capacitors? All this vast number of new innovations can bring initial lack of reliability and predictability with them yet if anything has to be superlatively reliable and predictable it is the autonomous vehicle operating near people. The more people are in close proximity, the greater the challenge. AVs are particularly lethal if flying over a crowd of people or navigating a crowded road with pedestrians crossing.
 
From 2015-2025, most forms of autonomous vehicles are and will remain electric land and air vehicles. Electric powertrains are exceptionally controllable and they can directly activate and collaborate with other functions of the vehicle that are autonomously managed in coordination with steering and navigation. For example, an autonomous electric tractor will operate implements with great precision when they are electrically driven from the electric powertrain of the vehicle. This is invaluable in providing autonomy.
 
In numbers and probably market value, the report finds most substantially-autonomous vehicles will be pure electric in number, notably robot vacuum cleaners at the order of one million yearly. However, if we consider minimally autonomous vehicles, then, from 2015 - 2025, the largest numbers and market value will include cars at the order of one million yearly averaged through the decade.
 
The emphasis of the report is on lessons of success and failure and what comes next, with lead indicators of such success. Timelines to 2040 of market, technology and allied advances are given and detailed forecasts of sales of autonomous vehicles from 2015-2025 particularly concentrate on numbers, unit value and total market value.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Kapsch sets course for higher profitability
    February 26, 2015
    Kapsch TrafficCom experienced stable business development in the first three quarters of 2014/2015 with existing installation and operation projects. The Group was also able to obtain a number of new orders in Australia during the third quarter, although new major orders, upon which the innovation and growth plans are based, remained elusive due to the lack of corresponding invitations to tender. Revenue of the Group during the first three quarters of the 2014/15 fiscal year was US$283.5 million, slightly b
  • Additional functionality gives loops a continued lease of life
    March 20, 2014
    Two decades after the death of the inductive loops was predicted, Matt Zinn, technical services manager at Eberle Design says the technology still offers advantages. More than 20 years ago the emergence of video detection systems led many to foretell the end of inductive loops. In the intervening years advocates of radar, infrared and wireless detection technologies have also claimed that loops were on their way out. But in fact, by all calculations, the use of loops has actually increased and although
  • Traffic management market ‘to surpass US$22 billion by 2021’
    May 9, 2016
    Increasing traffic congestion, rising vehicle fleet size and growing technological advances will drive global traffic management market through 2021, according to the latest TechSci Research report, Global Traffic Management Market by Transportation Mode, By System Type, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021. According to the research, the global market for traffic management is projected to surpass US$22 billion by 2021, due to rising demand for traffic management in roadways, ra
  • How C/AVs could serve rural communities
    July 23, 2019
    In Ireland, there is low population density and a lot of rain – which can make last-mile journeys a trial. Orla O’Halloran at Arup has some thoughts on how C/AVs could serve rural communities Connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) have the potential to be a vital link for people in rural communities, as part of a wider Mobility as a Service (MaaS) solution. That is the view of Orla O’Halloran, intelligent mobility consultant at Arup. She believes that MaaS needs to be considered in conjunction with ot