Skip to main content

Favourable legislation essential for developing successful test sites, finds Frost & Sullivan

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Global Test Sites and Incentive Programs for Automated Cars, finds unfavourable legislation in many parts of the world can delay the testing, validation and subsequent introduction of automated vehicle technologies by a few years. Despite the availability of advanced automated functional testing in several parts of the world, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and automotive technology providers favour North American test beds to the ones in Europe and Asia, says
May 26, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
New analysis from 2097 Frost & Sullivan, Global Test Sites and Incentive Programs for Automated Cars, finds unfavourable legislation in many parts of the world can delay the testing, validation and subsequent introduction of automated vehicle technologies by a few years.

Despite the availability of advanced automated functional testing in several parts of the world, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and automotive technology providers favour North American test beds to the ones in Europe and Asia, says the report. North America has the largest number of test beds due to its favourable policies regarding testing; however, by 2020, test facilities in Europe and Asia are expected to flourish as well.

"Currently, a few states in North America have encouraging laws and regulations for the testing of automated driving technologies, and enactments are pending in several others," said Frost & Sullivan Intelligent Mobility senior research analyst Anirudh Venkitaraman. "On the other hand, Europe and Asia have no legislation. These regions conduct testing for related technologies, but only with ad-hoc legal permits."

With North America likely to be the launch pad for automated driving cars due to its policy advantages, many well-equipped major facilities have mushroomed in this region. The clearer set of regulations and greater consumer enthusiasm for new technologies will give the region the slight edge with rates for semi-automated vehicles.

Most major automotive OEMs across the globe are working on incorporating active safety and automated vehicle technologies in their future vehicle line-up. Already, several countries have been identified to facilitate the testing and validation of these futuristic technologies in different conditions.

While the testing can be conducted in secure public roads, certain facilities have the technologies to capture and process data from vehicle sensors to simulate real-world environments. These test beds are associated with several industry partners offering the technological, legal and infrastructural support needed to keep them operational.

Nevertheless, the impending roll out of highly-to-fully automated vehicles has made it critical for OEMs to test their products in real-world test environments. OEMs and disruptors are partnering with these test locations as well as technology providers, legal advisors and insurance providers to understand the conditions and accelerate vehicle launch.

"With continuous efforts being made to ensure the safe testing of automated driving technologies in locations conducive for experimenting, many countries across the world may soon pass favourable legislation, “noted Venkitaraman. "Eventually, this policy support will fast-track innovation and attract investments along the value chain.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • 5G testbed enables mobility simulation space
    September 15, 2021
    Testbed is part of a project which spans the borders of Finland, Estonia and Latvia 
  • Europe’s road safety gains have stagnated EU
    March 17, 2017
    Europe will fail to meet its road death targets as enforcement budgets are slashed and drivers face an epidemic of distractions. The European Union will not achieve its aim of halving the number of people killed on its roads each year by 2020, delegates to Tispol’s (the organisation of European traffic police) annual conference in Manchester were told. “The target will be missed because there was only a 17% decrease in road fatalities across Europe between 2010 and 2015 when [the rate of reduction] should h
  • MaaS: 'It's been much easier to convince politicians than we expected'
    August 11, 2021
    As she leaves the Mobility as a Service sector, Piia Karjalainen explains why the user must continue to be the focus – and why we haven’t yet even seen half of the innovations available 
  • US adopts automated enforcement… gradually
    March 4, 2014
    The US automated enforcement market is in rude health as the number of systems and applications continues to grow and broaden. Jason Barnes reports. Blessed and cursed – arguably, in equal measure – with a constitution which stresses the right to self-expression and determination, the US has had a harder journey than most to the more widespread use of automated traffic enforcement systems. In some cases, opposition to the concept has been extreme – including the murder of a roadside civil enforcement offici