Dutch are most ready for AVs - but bikes are an obstacle, says KPMG

The Netherlands is the number one country in terms of readiness to deploy autonomous vehicles (AVs) – except for one small problem: bicycles. People on two wheels - in this notoriously bike-friendly country - pose a problem for the deployment of AVs in built-up areas, according to research by KPMG. “We have a lot of bicycles,” says Stijn de Groen, manager digital advisory, automotive, at KPMG in the Netherlands. “In urban, crowded areas it will be very difficult to start autonomous driving.” Leavin
February 14, 2019 Read time: 3 mins

The Netherlands is the number one country in terms of readiness to deploy autonomous vehicles (AVs) – except for one small problem: bicycles.

People on two wheels - in this notoriously bike-friendly country - pose a problem for the deployment of AVs in built-up areas, according to research by 1981 KPMG.

“We have a lot of bicycles,” says Stijn de Groen, manager digital advisory, automotive, at KPMG in the Netherlands. “In urban, crowded areas it will be very difficult to start autonomous driving.”

Leaving the bikes issue aside, KPMG %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external ranked false https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2019/02/2019-autonomous-vehicles-readiness-index.pdf false false%> the Netherlands in top position out of 25 countries listed in its Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI) for a second consecutive year.

The top ranking comes following the Dutch government’s work with neighbouring countries to adopt AV technology for freight.

In March 2018, Dutch infrastructure minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen announced plans to launch platoons of more than 100 driverless trucks on major routes from Amsterdam to Antwerp in Belgium as well as from Rotterdam to the Ruhr Valley in Germany.

Second place in KPMG’s study goes to Singapore, which was chosen for creating a test town for driverless vehicles at Nanyang Technological University. The ‘town’ includes traffic lights, bus stops, skyscrapers and a rain machine which recreates wet and tropical weather.

Norway is one of five new entrants in this year’s AVRI ranking. The country came third for legalising AV testing on public roads as well as allowing operators to start small-scale autonomous bus services.

Other countries making their debut in the AVRI index include Finland (6), Israel (14), Czech Republic (19) and Hungary (21).

The UK came seventh and is described as lagging behind other countries in its quality of roads, 4G coverage, global connectivity and logistics infrastructure.
 
Rabih Arzouni, chief technology officer, transport sector, at 5163 Fujitsu EMEIA, says consideration needs to be given to adapting the current infrastructure to accommodate a proliferation of data.

He emphasises the need for hyper-connectivity at the roadside through either new fibre-optics or improved cellular communications.

“Through this approach specifically, messages can be transmitted to dashboards to improve road efficiency, whilst connected vehicles can be programmed to spot potholes and communicate with road operators,” Arzouni adds.

KPMG has also conducted a consumer opinion research project to better understand consumer sentiment on AVs. It revealed that countries with lower rankings such as Mexico (23) and India (24) are most interested in the technology.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • MaaS Market Conference debates transport’s digital dilemma
    January 10, 2019
    A major restructuring of transport services is underway in a growing number of cities worldwide as new consumer-lead business models threaten the future of traditional operators. That’s the message Paul Campion, CEO of UK innovation agency Transport Systems Catapult, will give to delegates at the opening of ITS International’s 2019 MaaS Market Conference (20-21 March, Inmarsat Conference Centre, London). Campion will argue that the digitisation of transport is driving a move from a supplier-centric system
    Read More
  • TagMaster shows XT-5 RAIN RFID reader
    March 20, 2018
    TagMaster, whose business areas include traffic and rail solutions sold under the TagMaster, CitySync, Balogh, CA Traffic, and Magsys brands, is launching several new products, including the XT-5 UHF Reader. The XT-5, a new member in TagMaster’s UHF family, is the next generation of RAIN RFID reader for traffic solutions. It has a high-performance 33 dBm radio with self-jammer cancellation and polarisation switching. Built on a Linux platform with PoE+, it comes in versions with internal antenna or up to
    Read More
  • CBI/AECOM Survey: Three quarters of firms and public doubt improvement over this Parliament
    October 25, 2017
    74% of firms doubt infrastructure will improve over this Parliament and 76% the public doubt any improvement will occur, according to the CBI/AECOM Infrastructure survey 2017. The findings show that both business and the public are concerned about the pace of delivery and a record number of firms are dissatisfied with the state of infrastructure in the region. The report showed that 96% of the 727 businesses surveyed see infrastructure as important to the government’s agenda and 55% view it as critical.
    Read More
  • Tata to supply Tritium DC fast chargers in India
    March 14, 2019
    Automobile components company Tata AutoComp Systems has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to supply Tritium’s chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) in India. Tata says Tritium’s Veefil-RT DC fast chargers supply power to a range of EVs, including two-wheelers, passenger and commercial vehicles. David Finn, co-founder of Tritium, says the MoU coincides with the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacture of Hybrid and EVs) scheme. “The FAME policy is among the most progressive initiatives in the
    Read More

Highlighted Content