This book examines the development and technical progress of self-driving vehicles in the context of the Vision Zero project from the European Union, which aims to eliminate highway system fatalities and serious accidents by 2050. It presents the concept of Autonomous Driving (AD) and discusses its applications in transportation, logistics, space, agriculture, and industrial and home automation.

The automotive industry appears close to substantial change engendered by “self-driving” technologies. This technology offers the possibility of significant benefits to social welfare—saving lives; reducing crashes, congestion, fuel consumption, and pollution; increasing mobility for the disabled; and ultimately improving land use. This report is intended as a guide for state and federal policymakers on the many issues that this technology raises.

This book takes a look at fully automated, autonomous vehicles and discusses many open questions: How can autonomous vehicles be integrated into the current transportation system with diverse users and human drivers? Where do automated vehicles fall under current legal frameworks? What risks are associated with automation and how will society respond to these risks? How will the marketplace react to automated vehicles and what changes may be necessary for companies? Experts from Germany and the United States define key societal, engineering, and mobility issues related to the automation of vehicles. They discuss the decisions programmers of automated vehicles must make to enable vehicles to perceive their environment, interact with other road users, and choose actions that may have ethical consequences. The authors further identify expectations and concerns that will form the basis for individual and societal acceptance of autonomous driving. While the safety benefits of such vehicles are tremendous, the authors demonstrate that these benefits will only be achieved if vehicles have an appropriate safety concept at the heart of their design. Realizing the potential of automated vehicles to reorganize traffic and transform mobility of people and goods requires similar care in the design of vehicles and networks. By covering all of these topics, the book aims to provide a current, comprehensive, and scientifically sound treatment of the emerging field of “autonomous driving".

Autonomous Vehicles: Technologies, Regulations, and Societal Impacts explores both the autonomous driving concepts and the key hardware and software enablers, Artificial intelligence tools, needed infrastructure, communication protocols, and interaction with non-autonomous vehicles. It analyses the impacts of autonomous driving using a scenario-based approach to quantify the effects on the overall economy and affected sectors. The book assess from a qualitative and quantitative approach, the future of autonomous driving, and the main drivers, challenges, and barriers. The book investigates whether individuals are ready to use advanced automated driving vehicles technology, and to what extent we as a society are prepared to accept highly automated vehicles on the road. Building on the technologies, opportunities, strengths, threats, and weaknesses, Autonomous Vehicles: Technologies, Regulations, and Societal Impacts discusses the needed frameworks for automated vehicles to move inside and around cities. The book concludes with a discussion on what in applications comes next, outlining the future research needs. - Broad, interdisciplinary and systematic coverage of the key issues in autonomous driving and vehicles - Examines technological impact on society, governance, and the economy as a whole - Includes foundational topical coverage, case studies, objectives, and glossary

When human drivers let intelligent software take the wheel: the beginning of a new era in personal mobility.

Autonomous Vehicles and Future Mobility presents novel methods for examining the long-term effects on individuals, society, and on the environment for a wide range of forthcoming transport scenarios, such as self-driving vehicles, workplace mobility plans, demand responsive transport analysis, mobility as a service, multi-source transport data provision, and door-to-door mobility. With the development and realization of new mobility options comes change in long-term travel behavior and transport policy. This book addresses these impacts, considering such key areas as the attitude of users towards new services, the consequences of introducing new mobility forms, the impacts of changing work related trips, and more. By examining and contextualizing innovative transport solutions in this rapidly evolving field, the book provides insights into the current implementation of these potentially sustainable solutions. It will serve as a resource of general guidelines and best practices for researchers, professionals and policymakers.

In Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving, historian Peter Norton argues that driverless cars cannot be the safe, sustainable, and inclusive "mobility solutions" that tech companies and automakers are promising us. The salesmanship behind the "driverless future" is distracting us from better ways to get around that we can implement now. Unlike autonomous vehicles, these alternatives are inexpensive, safe, sustainable, and inclusive. Norton takes the reader on an engaging ride--from the GM Futurama exhibit to "smart" highways and vehicles--to show how we are once again being sold car dependency in the guise of mobility. Autonorama is hopeful, advocating for wise, proven, humane mobility that we can invest in now, without waiting for technology that is forever just out of reach.