An autonomous car from Waymo, the Alphabet subsidiary. - WAYMO

  • Autonomous cars, supposed to drive themselves, will be vehicles to be shared.
  • Many questions arise regarding this technology, in terms of security, convenience of travel, parking or the usefulness of a driver's license.
  • The future with this mode of transport is still far away.

Currently, a car is unused 95% of the time according to the Environment and Energy Management Agency. This could change with the arrival of autonomous vehicles. The latter, supposed to "drive themselves" are seen as a revolution in the automotive industry, in the sense that it is no longer goods, but services. “I think the interest of the autonomous vehicle is to develop the service use of the car. That is to say that we no longer own it, but we will rent one when we need it, ”explains Laura Brimont, coordinator of the“ Lifestyles in Transition ”program at the Institute for Sustainable Development and international relations (Iddri).

The price of an autonomous private car being very high, carsharing would theoretically make this mode of transport accessible to all. But such an innovation also implies changes in terms of security, convenience of travel, parking or even the usefulness of a driving license. 20 Minutes takes stock.

The issue of license and security

The autonomous vehicle has an advantage: any individual can be able to use it. There would be no need for a driving license according to Azim Eskandrian, member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a professional association dedicated to the advancement of technologies for humanity. The expert believes that sitting in this type of car will be the same as sitting on a bus or train. However, at present, autonomous driving technology is not yet reliable. In most tests, an operator is in the vehicle to take over the wheel in an emergency.

Carried out on certain roads, these tests make it possible to verify the capabilities of the automobile and to ensure that it does not present any danger. "The question is what will be the procedure for approving autonomous vehicles and from when we will consider that they are safe," said Laura Brimont. According to her, the public will not be ready to accept them if they are not certified as perfect in terms of safety. Testing on the roads is not enough, however, because you would have to test every conceivable situation in the real world, tens of millions. The manufacturers of these vehicles use simulations to create situations that could happen.

The limits of carsharing

The car-sharing service, an alternative to buying and owning cars, can be developed in urban areas like Paris or other major cities in France, but not outside: "Outside these large urban areas , we are very dependent on the car, we need it every day. Renting a car will be much more expensive than owning a car, ”says Laura Brimont.

The coordinator of the “Lifestyles in Transition” project considers that it would be more interesting to develop metros or autonomous buses, which would cost less to the communities that finance them. This could make it possible to have more buses or to put them in areas where today, it is complicated to set up regular transport lines with the lack of density.

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With the car-sharing service, the question also arises of what autonomous vehicles do when there is no one inside. According to Laura Brimont, two situations are possible. The first is that they do not park and they continue to drive, which would cause an increase in energy consumption, traffic and therefore potentially in traffic jams. Otherwise, they could park outside of cities, in underground places or places where, at present, it is not practical for drivers to park their cars.

Technical and legal difficulties

Autonomous driving technology offers the opportunity to change the interior of vehicles. Some manufacturers have understood this and have started working on models that make traveling more pleasant. The American company Cruise unveiled in January the Origin, an autonomous car designed for shared transport without a steering wheel or pedals. With six seats facing each other, it offers a spacious interior. However, the start-up did not provide any information regarding the launch date or the price.

The Cruise Origin even has enough legroom for two NBA players. Hi @festus and @epaschall 👋 pic.twitter.com/hH89iKwpGG

- Cruise (@Cruise) February 7, 2020

This is the problem with autonomous vehicles: currently, we do not know if and when this driverless future will arrive. Several companies like Waymo and Tesla have indicated dates, but have missed their targets. Optimistic about the technology's capacity at the outset, they realized that it was more complicated technically and legally than they thought. For Laura Brimont, it is even possible that we won't hear about the autonomous car anymore in four years.

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