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Ranked: The Autonomous Vehicle Readiness of 20 Countries

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For the past decade, manufacturers and governments all over the world have been preparing for the adoption of self-driving cars—with the promise of transformative economic development.

As autonomous vehicles become more of a looming certainty, what will be the wider impacts of this monumental transition?

Which Countries are Ready?

Today’s interactive visual from Aquinov Mathappan ranks countries on their preparedness to adopt self-driving cars, while also exploring the range of challenges they will face in achieving complete automation.

The Five Levels of Automation

The graphic above uses the Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index, which details the five levels of automation. Level 0 vehicles place the responsibility for all menial tasks with the driver, including steering, braking, and acceleration. In contrast, level 5 vehicles demand nothing of the driver and can operate entirely without their presence.

Today, most cars sit between levels 1 and 3, typically with few or limited automated functions. There are some exceptions to the rule, such as certain Tesla models and Google’s Waymo. Both feature a full range of self-driving capabilities—enabling the car to steer, accelerate and brake on behalf of the driver.

The Journey to Personal Driving Freedom

There are three main challenges that come with achieving a fully-automated level 5 status:

  1. Data Storage
    Effectively storing data and translating it into actionable insights is difficult when 4TB of raw data is generated every day—the equivalent of the data generated by 3,000 internet users in 24 hours.
  2. Data Transportation
    Autonomous vehicles need to communicate with each other and transport data with the use of consistently high-speed internet, highlighting the need for large-scale adoption of 5G.
  3. Verifying Deep Neural Networks
    The safety of these vehicles will be dictated by their ability to distinguish between a vehicle and a person, but they currently rely on algorithms which are not yet fully understood.

Which Countries are Leading the Charge?

The 20 countries were selected for the report based on economic size, and their automation progress was ranked using four key metrics: technology and innovation, infrastructure, policy and legislation, and consumer acceptance.

The United States leads the way on technology and innovation, with 163 company headquarters, and more than 50% of cities currently preparing their streets for self-driving vehicles. The Netherlands and Singapore rank in the top three for infrastructure, legislation, and consumer acceptance. Singapore is currently testing a fleet of autonomous buses created by Volvo, which will join the existing public transit fleet in 2022.

India, Mexico, and Russia lag behind on all fronts—despite enthusiasm for self-driving cars, these countries require legislative changes and improvements in the existing quality of roads. Mexico also lacks industrial activity and clear regulations around autonomous vehicles, but close proximity to the U.S. has already garnered interest from companies like Intel for manufacturing autonomous vehicles south of the border.

How Autonomous Vehicles Impact the Economy

Once successfully adopted, autonomous vehicles will save the U.S. economy $1.3 trillion per year, which will come from a variety of sources including:

  • $563 billion: Reduction in accidents
  • $422 billion: Productivity gains
  • $158 billion: Decline in fuel costs
  • $138 billion: Fuel savings from congestion avoidance
  • $11 billion: Improved traffic flow and reduction of energy use
    • With the adoption of autonomous vehicles projected to reduce private car ownership in the U.S. to 43% by 2030, it’s disrupting many other industries in the process.

      • Insurance
        Transportation will be safer, potentially reducing the number of accidents over time. Insurance companies are already rolling out usage-based insurance policies (UBIs), which charge customers based on how many miles they drive and how safe their driving habits are.
      • Travel
        Long distance traveling in autonomous vehicles provides a painless alternative to train and air travel. The vehicles are designed for comfort, making it possible to sleep overnight easily—which could also impact the hotel industry significantly.
      • Real Estate
        An increase in effortless travel could lead to increased urban sprawl, as people prioritize the convenience of proximity to city centers less and less.
        • Defining the parameters for this emerging industry will present significant and unpredictable challenges. Once the initial barriers are eliminated and the technology matures, the world could see a new renaissance of mobility, and the disruption of dozens of other industries as a result.

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Misc

Visualized: EV Market Share in the U.S.

Although sales have been climbing, EV market share in the U.S. remains low as a percentage of all vehicles registered on the road.

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Visualized: EV Market Share in the U.S.

Electric vehicles are a fast growing segment in the U.S., but how much market share have they taken from traditional gasoline cars?

According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Energy, not much.

In this graphic, we visualize light-duty vehicle registrations in 2022, broken out by fuel type. It shows that out of the 281 million cars registered nationally, electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles represented only 1.2%.

Breaking Down the Data

An important distinction to make is that registrations are not the same as sales.

While sales represent the number of new cars sold within a timeframe, registrations reflect the number of cars that are registered with a state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

As a result, registrations include both new cars and used cars that have changed ownership. This provides a more comprehensive measure of what cars are on the road.

The following table shows the data we used to create this graphic.

Fuel TypeRegistrations in 2022Share of Total
Gasoline275,728,30098.0%
EV and PHEV3,454,7001.2%
Alternative Fuels2,573,2000.9%

It’s worth noting that the gasoline category also includes diesel, E85 flex fuel, and traditional hybrid vehicles, while alternative fuels includes biodiesel, natural gas, propane, and hydrogen.

Vehicles that the Department of Energy categorized as “unknown fuel type” were excluded.

EV Market Share on the Rise

EV adoption in the U.S. has been relatively sluggish compared to the EU and China, though this is beginning to change as automakers roll out more electric SUVs and trucks.

According to Cox Automotive, U.S. EV sales (full battery electric) in Q2 2023 set a new record of 300,000 units, marking a 48% increase from Q2 2022.

For additional context, a total of 800,000 EVs were sold in the U.S. throughout the entire year of 2022, in addition to 190,000 PHEVs.

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