People have dreamed of self-driving cars for as long as there have been cars. The technology is now available – but we still have to drive ourselves to work every day.
"To take the next step, we need a national effort to show the way," says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius, Head of Mobility and Systems Research at RISE.
Experiments with driverless vehicles using radio control began as early as the 1920s. By the 1950s, self-driving cars were being tested on American highways. Many envisioned a sci-fi future where all you had to do was sit in the back seat and relax while the car did the work.
Rules, not technology, stand in the way of automated vehicles
Since then, the development of technology, including digitalisation and artificial intelligence, has exploded. Today, more than 100 years later, self-driving taxis can be found in many places in the United States. But cities have not yet been filled with automated vehicles to the extent that many thought they would be.
"It may have been technically possible, but there are challenges. One is the legal framework; for example, the Vienna Convention requires a driver to be in charge of the vehicle. This is just one of many examples of conditions that need to be changed," says Peter Janevik, CEO of RISE's proving ground AstaZero, where automated vehicles are tested in different environments.
"Another challenge is that it is more difficult than experts previously thought to handle all the situations that can arise in public traffic - compared to closed environments, such as mines, where automated vehicles are already being used in Europe.
In addition, autonomous vehicles are more demanding than human drivers.
"A common assessment is that autonomous vehicles need to be ten times safer than a human driver. It is a question of acceptance, but also an ethical question," says Peter Janevik.
"At the same time. Can you say that a self-driving car will never have an accident on public roads? No, then it will not be possible", says Peter Janevik.
In addition to the demonstration facilities where we can test the technology, RISE is also working on policy issues, business model issues and the interaction between people and technology
Coordination needed in Sweden
Looking at Sweden alone, coordination is also needed.
"We need to create arenas where different actors from industry, transport customers and authorities work together to take further steps towards autonomous vehicles in traffic. I think we should take inspiration from countries in Europe and how they deal with these issues, rather than looking at China or the United States," says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius.
In Sweden, it is still unclear who will own the issue.
"Who should take the decision to adapt or change the rules? Is it the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish National Road Administration or someone else? There are uncertainties surrounding the regulation of autonomous vehicles in Sweden," says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius.
There is also the question of whether the public wants self-driving cars at all – or at least whether they are willing to pay extra for them. Car manufacturers believe that automation is the future, but how far into the future we are talking about is uncertain.
"The business case is difficult. It's a convenience function, and the benefit should be translated into how much more you can pay for a car. It's great if you want to go to the mountains, but you rarely go there. The value of the function is not yet high enough," says Peter Janevik.
"It is more likely that we will first see self-driving freight transport and public transport in Sweden."
"You can imagine a semi-closed environment, for example bus lanes, where automated vehicles are also allowed. I think that would be an attractive middle ground that is economically viable but also easier to solve from a technical and regulatory perspective. It could also have an impact on the urban environment and the traffic situation, for example if all freight transport takes place at night," says Peter Janevik.
Policies and business models as important as technology
At RISE's proving ground AstaZero, automated vehicles can be tested in a variety of traffic environments and situations. This is an important part of the process of getting self-driving cars on the road, but there are other parts too.
"In addition to the demonstration facilities where we can test the technology, RISE is also working on policy issues, business model issues and the interaction between people and technology. What we see now, in order to take the next step with self-driving vehicles, is the need for a national effort to show the way forward," says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius.
"Once this is in place, RISE can step in as an objective actor and act as a facilitator when there is a need to discuss this type of complex issue that involves several different actors and authorities."
How self-driving cars will change traffic
It is often said that traffic problems would disappear if traffic were fully automated. Self-driving cars would keep their distance and cause fewer accidents. But what would happen in a city if the traffic system were fully automated?
"There are a lot of studies going on right now about what happens to a self-driving car when you're not in it. One scenario is that it moves, which guarantees that there will be even more traffic in the system," says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius.
"That's why we need positive incentives to use automated buses, for example, instead of driving your self-driving car into the city and then driving around because you don't want to pay for parking."
"Traffic problems cannot be solved by self-driving vehicles alone; different parts of the transport system must work together," says Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius.
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