Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Consumers losing confidence in fully automated, self-driving vehicles, J.D. Power says

But survey results were better in the West, where more people have ridden in robotaxi tests in Phoenix and San Francisco

autonomous avt.jpeg

Consumer confidence in fully automated, self-driving vehicles continued to decline for a second consecutive year, according to market data and analytics provider J.D. Power.

The index score for consumer automated vehicle (AV) readiness declined 2 points to 37 (on a 100-point scale), contributing to the 5-point decline from 2021. Consumers showed low readiness on all metrics, with the lowest level of comfort riding in a fully automated, self-driving vehicle and using fully automated, self-driving public transit. 


The numbers came from the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Mobility Confidence Index (MCI) Study, conducted in collaboration with the MIT Advanced Vehicle Technology (AVT) Consortium.

Despite that skepticism, the researchers said that public opinion and consumer comfort are affected by a lack of general knowledge about AV technology development, compounded by media coverage that highlights robotaxi and testing failures. 

As proof, they pointed to results within the study showing that consumer comfort is higher in the West region of the country, a region familiar with AV testing and deployments. Specifically, confidence soared for consumers who have ridden in a robotaxi in Phoenix or San Francisco, reaching an MCI index score of 67, which is almost double the index score (37) of those who haven’t ridden in a robotaxi, and is indicative of experience being critical to full-scale AV adoption.

Another hurdle is the adoption of fully automated cars is a lack of accurate information in the market. The percentage of consumers who believe fully automated, self-driving vehicles are available today has increased across all transportation modalities. For example, consumers are able to accurately cite examples of available AV delivery services (e.g., Amazon, Domino’s), robotaxis (e.g., Waymo, Cruise, Uber), and commercial transport applications. However, consumers inaccurately cite examples of personal vehicles available to purchase or lease today, as 22% indicate that “Tesla” or “Autopilot” are fully automated, the study found.

“Experience with automation appears to greatly improve confidence in the technology. As trust is built over time but eroded quickly, stakeholders may need to find new ways to proactively educate potential users on the advantages and current limitations of vehicle automation systems,” Bryan Reimer, a research scientist in the AgeLab at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics and a founder of MIT’s Advanced Vehicle Technology (AVT) Consortium, said in a release. “Automated driving technology is still very much in an evolving and testing stage with improvements occurring quickly. Consumers’ understanding of where we are on the path to long-term automated mobility needs to be calibrated as today’s systems are not designed to enable more risky driving.”

The study is based on responses from 3,000 vehicle owners in the U.S. age 18 and older who completed a 15-minute online survey in July 2023.

 

 

The Latest

More Stories

ITS Logistics truck carrying Sherwin Williams products
ITS Logistics

Transportation challenges, solved

Sometimes, all you need is the right partner to solve your logistics problems.

In 2021, global paint supplier Sherwin Williams faced driver and hazardous material (hazmat) capacity constraints: There simply weren’t enough hazmat drivers available in its fleet to maintain the company’s 90% fleet utilization rate expectations for key partner store deliveries while also meeting growing demand for service. Those challenges threatened to become even more acute in the future, as a competing paint supply company began to scale back its operations in the Pacific Northwest, leaving Sherwin Williams with an opportunity to fill the gap.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

drone flying through warehouse

Robotic revolution

Robots are revolutionizing factories, warehouses, and distribution centers (DCs) around the world, thanks largely to heavy investments in the technology between 2019 and 2021. And although investment has slowed since then, the long-term outlook calls for steady growth over the next four years. According to data from research and consulting firm Interact Analysis, revenues from shipments of industrial robots are forecast to grow nearly 4% per year, on average, between 2024 and 2028 (see Exhibit 1).

market forecast for industrial robots - revenues graphEXHIBIT 1: Market forecast for industrial robots - revenuesInteract Analysis

Keep ReadingShow less
Freight Science dashboard screen
Freight Science

High-tech solution helps truckload carrier drive change

The trucking industry faces a range of challenges these days, particularly when it comes to load planning—a resource-intensive task that often results in suboptimal decisions, unnecessary empty miles, late deliveries, and inefficient asset utilization. What’s more, delays in decision-making due to a lack of real-time insights can hinder operational efficiency, making cost management a constant struggle.

Truckload carrier Paper Transport Inc. (PTI) experienced this firsthand when the company sought to expand its over the-road (OTR), intermodal, and brokerage offerings to include dedicated fleet services for high-volume shippers—adding a layer of complexity to the business. The additional personnel required for such a move would be extremely costly, leading PTI to investigate technology solutions that could help close the gap.

Keep ReadingShow less
indigo software screenshot WMS

Aptean adds British WMS vendor in latest acquisition

The Georgia-based enterprise software vendor Aptean today said it had acquired Indigo Software Ltd., a British provider of purpose-built warehouse management and logistics software solutions.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Aptean said the move will add new capabilities to its warehouse management and supply chain management offerings for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and 3PLs. Aptean currently provides enterprise resource planning (ERP), transportation management systems (TMS), and product lifecycle management (PLM) platforms.

Keep ReadingShow less
schneider app screenshot for owner operators

Schneider seeks more business with owner-operators

Transportation and logistics service provider Schneider National Inc. is reaching out to owner-operators, encouraging them to do more business with the Wisconsin company using an updated digital platform.

Schneider says its FreightPower platform now offers owner-operators significantly more access to Schneider’s range of freight options. That can help drivers to generate revenue and strengthen their business through: increased access to freight, high drop and hook rates of over 95% of loads, and a trip planning feature that calculates road miles.

Keep ReadingShow less