 indicated, most manufacturers in the transportation industry are also expressing a cautious attitude toward this new trend. The study, titled the “Industrial Mobility Survey,” reviewed manufacturers’ […] "'Pin It")
PwC Study Reveals Most Manufacturers Want to Hold off on Adopting Self-Driving Transportation
While many automakers are pursuing self-driving car technology, consumers aren’t the only ones who have been slow to warm up to automated vehicles. As a recently released study from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) indicated, most manufacturers in the transportation industry are also expressing a cautious attitude toward this new trend.
The study, titled the “Industrial Mobility Survey,” reviewed manufacturers’ answers to questions involving the topic of industrial mobility. To put it simply, “industrial mobility” involves everything from autonomous trucking, rail, drones and marine transport to autonomous robots used on factory floors.
According to the survey results, only 9% of manufacturers have already incorporated semi-autonomous or fully-autonomous mobility technology. 10% of those surveyed said they’re going to adopt this technology sometime in the next three years.
Photo: DPCcars
The overarching theme though was that the majority of manufacturers surveyed are hitting the pause button on implementing industrial mobility. 86% are waiting for the technology’s price to go down. 38% stated that they want the technology’s safety to improve, while 47% are waiting to see if consumer demand for it increases.
Some professionals in the industry cite both public safety concerns and the fear of putting human workers out of jobs as the two leading causes behind this hesitancy to adopt self-driving transportation, as Greg Roger, policy analyst at the Eno Center for Transportation, articulated. “We’re still 10 to 20 years off from having fully driverless trucks from being a common sight on the roads. I think the fear of displacing human workers and the general public’s initial safety concerns will keep drivers in the trucks for at least another decade, maybe two, beyond that.”
Only time will tell if self-driving vehicles will reduce or increase the number of human worker positions available in the auto industry. Here’s to hoping that it will create new job roles related to the new technology, a feasible possibility backed by individuals such as Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen.
News Source: Transportation Today News
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