Self- driving cars also know as automated cars are new to the market and are causing a stir in the automotive and technology industry. With various automakers, tech companies, and startups racing to make autonomous vehicles a reality, the question on everyone’s mind is: When shall we expect to see fully autonomous cars out on the roads by 2025? In this article I will look into how the future of autonomous cars, by specifically year 2025 will look like: advantages and disadvantage, pros and cons and the effects to the society.
The Road to Autonomous Cars
To have a clearer view of the likely outcome of people’s autonomy in the year 2025, let us for a moment turn around and learn what has already been done in the area of self-driving cars. This idea can date back to the early century where inventors including Walter Berky and Herman Sprenger adopted themselves to come up with automatic steering systems. During the 1980s and 1990s, development in artificial intelligence and computer vision led to new ways for the emergence of robotic automobiles.
In the early years of the new millennium camera and GPS were integrated into the self-driving car technology and by the year 2010 gigantic companies like Google and Tesla even built their first prototypes of true self-driving cars. Since then, many tech companies and automakers have entered the competition to create self-driving cars, and spend billions of dollars annually on this, which makes it one of the most dynamically developing areas in the automotive industry.
Benefits of Autonomous Cars
Self-driving cars have a lot of benefits including but not limited to higher rate of road safety, enhanced access, and minimized traffic jams. Self-driving cars, that eliminate human factor in car operation, are less susceptible to factors like distracted, drunken or drowsy driving. Also, self driving cars will be useful to those who cannot drive and for instance people who are incompetent or are disabled, provide them an opportunity to be independent and mobile.
Besides, self driving cars help minimize traffic jams and fuel use in the society. Because the cars themselves will be more efficient and less prone to making bad decisions regarding their speed and movements, self-driving cars will be able to increase the flow on roads. In addition, and since autonomous vehicles are capable of communicating with each other as well as with the traffic infrastructure, congestion and CO2 emissions can be minimized.
Barriers to Autonomy of the Automobile
However there are some challenges which still remain unovercome and before we observe fully automated cars ruling our roads by 2025, As much as self-controlled cars has its merits, there are still some disadvantage that you need to consider. The most relevant risk is that of safety and reliability in the technologies used in autonomous vehicles. Up to date, the autonomous cars use cameras, sensors, and GPS but all these are prone to faults such as poor light, obstacles on the road and even incidences where the software is faulty. Of course, the technologies will have to be made safe to the highest degree possible and the possibility of accidents avoided if self-driving cars are to become prominent.
Yet another challenge facing autonomous cars include the legal and regulatory requirements of the automobiles. The regulations of car with self driven features vary from country to country, some countries may prohibit or limit the use of self driven cars. As it is today in the lay of the land when it comes to car accidents, there comes the realisation of legal culpability, insurance and generally responsibility as the gradually adoption of self driving cars unfold.
Furthermore, in the case of using the self driving cars the acceptance of the consumer is important as well as trust levels. It is for this reason that people still remain coy in terms of depending on a self-driving car since safety and trust will be core determinants to the success of the mobility revolution.
Autonomous Cars by 2025: A Reality or Hype?
Now that we’ve explored the benefits, challenges, and potential impact of autonomous cars, let’s turn our attention to the question at hand: can we expect self driving cars to take over on our roads by 2025? Though the occurrence of the use of self-driving automobiles in the future cannot be said definitively, different existing indications suggest that the phenomenon might be in the horizon by 2025.
Furthermore, traditional car manufacturers, tech giants and new entrants in auto industry are vying hard to fund self driving car technology. As of the end of 2019, it has been estimated that over $90bn had been invested in the technology by global corporations, auto makers and tech firms. This new infusion of capital and resources will assist in moving the technology of autonomous cars one step closer to realizing their full potential.
Secondly, the rising frequency of new cooperation and agreement between automakers and tech companies is substantiation of the rising trend that is autonomous cars. For example, last year, BMW, Volkswagen, and Daimler each put in $1 billion to form Mobility House whose purpose is to come up with services and technologies for electric and autonomous cars. These parternships show the combined efforts towards achieving the goal of ensuring that self driven automobiles are in place by the year 2025.
Furthermore, there are many cities and territories internationally that are sign their intentions in becoming research laboratories for self-driving cars. In 2018 the city of Columbus, Ohio was one of a few that launched a fleet of self-driving shuttles and these shuttles can operate on public roads. While the autonomous vehicles are still somewhat of a lofty thought in the minds of car owners, the future may be closer than some believe; and even brighter when more cities buy into the idea.
Finally, largely owing to the improving contribution from experts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision, the self-driving car technology has also been growing in efficiency. Recent developments in the last few years are very encouraging in fields like image processing, objects’ identification and decision making algorithm which are the necessity for driving an autonomous car. Without doubt, as these technologies develop further they will play their part in pushing forward the development of cars that are fully autonomous.
Conclusion
As a result, contrary to what it may seem, predicting that we will have fully autonomous cars by 2025 may be overly optimistic, but the research we’ve seen suggests that the revolution in the world of self-driving cars will not happen at a standstill in the forthcoming years. The government, automobile manufacturers, and tech companies also have an important role to play since they can take some of the heat over the hurdles and skepticism of autonomous car technology and make self driving cars not only feasible but real.
As we step up into a world of where cars are going to be auto-chaild, we need to bear in mind this two advantages that have been pointed out; safety, accessibility and the efficiency of the roads. Familiarization can make a significant contribution to the actual trend of developing a highly important means of transport – self-driving cars.