Prepared to Be a Passenger: Consumer Perceptions of Autonomous Vehicles
The question about autonomous transportation is not a matter of if, but when. The technology promises to add billions to the automotive industry and reduce costs for airlines, but the barriers to widespread adoption are huge. Before deployment, companies must prove the technology will perform safely, requiring a massive and costly testing effort. Simulation can enable these companies to test millions of possible operating scenarios in a virtual environment safely and cost-effectively.
Another major barrier to adoption? People.
Consumers are accustomed to being in the driver’s seat on the road and take comfort in knowing a well-trained pilot is navigating their journey 30,000 feet in the air. They will need to be reassured that when autonomy comes, it will be safe.
With autonomous technology on the horizon, Ansys sought to understand consumer perception of self-driving cars and self-flying planes. Are they ready to take advantage of the latest and greatest technology? What are the biggest barriers to consumer adoption?
To answer these questions and more, Ansys enlisted Atomik Research and its team of MRS-certified researchers to conduct a survey. The sample included 16,037 adults 18-and-over, from the U.K., U.S., DACH (Austria, Germany and Switzerland), France, Sweden, Japan, China and India.
