Skip to main content

Toward a driverless future

On 10 December, Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, took a part in the presentation of a fully autonomous car at Munich airport. The event was designed to highlight the role that driverless cars could play in enabling safer and more efficient vehicles, while also addressing legislative and consumer challenges posed by this new technology. The event coincided with the launch of the new European Commission high level group for the automotive
December 11, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
On 10 December, Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, took a part in the presentation of a fully autonomous car at Munich airport. The event was designed to highlight the role that driverless cars could play in enabling safer and more efficient vehicles, while also addressing legislative and consumer challenges posed by this new technology.

The event coincided with the launch of the new European Commission high level group for the automotive sector, bringing together all relevant stakeholders. Gear 2030, which aims to develop recommendations to reinforce the competitiveness and tackle the main challenges the automotive sector will face in the next ten years. Automation, in particular, is a major trend that will be looked at by Gear 2030 as it will strengthen the sector by enabling safer and more efficient vehicle. Legislative hurdles, infrastructure investments and product liability issues, to name a few, are all key aspects that need resolution before the sector is able to put autonomous vehicles on the market.

Bieńkowska said: “Driverless cars represent a new opportunity for the mobility of Europeans and the competitiveness of European automotive industry. However, there must be careful thought into creating the best framework as this technology becomes a reality and users must be at the heart of this deployment.”

Related Content

  • 3M reflect on why CAVs need lines and signs
    May 10, 2017
    Tammy Meehan and Thomas Hedblom of 3M consider the ongoing development of technology needed to introduce connected and autonomous vehicles. The transportation industry is in the midst of the most dramatic shift since Henry Ford introduced horseless carriages. Already we are seeing the increased use of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) which, along with the introduction of autonomous vehicles in the next few decades, will bring profound changes to vehicles and the environment in which they operate.
  • Emovis’ 5-step guide to educating drivers on road usage charging
    October 31, 2023
    If people don’t understand the benefits of road usage charging, then it is unlikely to have public support. Scott Jacobs of Emovis outlines ways in which key messages – particularly on fairness - can be put across
  • EETS: still struggling to become reality
    December 4, 2013
    Erich Erker, Norbert Schindler, Peter Tschulik from Siemens Electronic Tolling examine the barriers to EETS deployment. Tolling in Europe was introduced to pay for the construction and operation of individual tunnels, bridges and highways and has evolved in major steps. The original manual tolling systems were highly disruptive to traffic flow and required the creation of large toll plazas, with multiple lanes and toll booths to ensure an acceptable throughput. With the introduction of Dedicated Short Range
  • The future looks bright for ITS
    June 4, 2015
    Professor Eric Sampson talks about the past successes of ITS, its potential for the future and the challenges the industry faces. If anybody should know when Intelligent Transport Systems started that person is Professor Eric Sampson, a visiting professor at both Newcastle and London City Universities. Having spent 40 years working for the UK’s Department of Transport and other public administrations, Professor Sampson now supports the European Commission on ITS systems and advises ERTICO ITS-Europe and ITS