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Despite fearless forecasts from experts from the last decade that the automated or automated vehicle (AV) is just around the bend, self-driving cars have barely taken off from the drawing board. 

This leaves many asking, “Will AV’s break into the mainstream?” and “Are AVs finally happening in 2024?” 

The subject of autonomous vehicles has been challenged with a lot of safety issues and concerns from both drivers and passengers.

(Also Read: Would You Trust a Robotaxi?)

For example, the case of the California taxi company Cruise caught plenty of flak in late 2023 when its permits for autonomous vehicle deployment and testing were suspended by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for “unreasonable risk to public safety”. This stemmed from an accident that occurred in October of the same year where a pedestrian was reportedly hit by a vehicle that put her directly in the path of a Cruise AV, and pinned the pedestrian underneath the AV. 

This, and other reported incidents have provoked advocacy groups in the state to amplify their response toward AVs. One example in San Fransisco had groups like Safe Street Rebels “coning” AVs on the road to disable them. Coning is the act of placing a traffic cone on top of an automated vehicle, which forces the vehicle to sit at a standstill in traffic. 

Despite these setbacks, the race toward AVs continues. The United Kingdom’s government is encouraging tech and automotive businesses to boost the UK at the forefront of AV and automated vehicle development. 

Programs such as The CAM Scale-Up UK Programme (which was launched in 2020) have supported tech and automotive business start-ups that have resulted in over twenty businesses developing their autonomous passenger and freight vehicle projects. Many of these start-ups have incorporated new technology such as improved radar technology and AI-powered perception system. 

The thrust focuses on AV’s that the public can utilize, such as passenger AVs, robotaxis, and automated shuttles. 

The CAM Scale-Up UK Programme is going strong in its fifth year in 2024 and has put out a call for more tech and automotive start-ups to apply for funding and participate in the program. 

One notable project that has been developed through the CAM Scale-Up UK Programme was the world’s self-driving and pothole-filling robot, developed by a tech start-up called Robotiz3d, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool. With cooperation from highway engineers from the Hertfordshire County Council, the robot is set to be tested on actual roads later this year. 

Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, self-driving shuttles and buses are undergoing trials at the Amsterdam Schipol Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, handling over 60 million passengers in 2023, according to IOTWorldToday. 

Currently, Amsterdam Schipol Airport is operating two electric autonomous shuttles to test if the service is feasible for a broader roll-out. 

Auckland-based Ohmio made these buses, which are being utilized to shuttle airport groundskeepers and maintenance staff around a fixed route. These AVs are deployed alongside conventional airport shuttles. The Ohmio buses have a passenger capacity of twenty, but the Amsterdam Schipol Airport has limited it to eight passengers at the time of this writing. 

According to a report by IOTWorldToday, the shuttles are equipped with cameras that monitor the automated vehicle’s surroundings and environment, stopping automatically when it senses obstructions on the road. A human safety operator is also on board as a precaution. 

How AVs May Impact Automotive in 2024

So how will AVs impact the automotive industry going forward? According to a piece published on Snoqap, the automotive industry has been concerned with four key disruptive trends referred to as “ACES”: autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification, and shared mobility. 

Professionals in the automotive industry view ACES as a catalyst propelling growth in the market for AVs. At the heart of ACES is AI technology, which powers an AVs capabilities to recognize obstructions on the road and in its path, as well as objects in its vicinity. 

Shared mobility refers to AVs providing a service to pedestrians, bringing us back to the AV as public utility vehicles. This also points toward utilizing AI to optimize operations, pricing, and fleet management. 

Tech companies, automotive companies, and OEMs now have the opportunity to collaborate, opening new doors and creating new roles in the field. AVs hold the key to reshaping these industries and influencing mobility infrastructures in major cities around the world. 
So when we think in those terms, perhaps 2024 is the year of the AV. 

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