(VOVWORLD) -Self-driving cars are viewed as future of the world’s transportation and many countries and big companies are investing a great deal in this new type of vehicle.
 A self-driving car of Google (Photo: thegioididong.com) |
Apple, the US maker of iPhone and iPad, on April 14 declared that it will join the race to design self-driving cars after a California department had awarded a permit for the company to start testing its self-driving car technology on public roads in the state. Apple will be vying against 29 other companies already have California permits to test self-driving cars, including Ford, General Motors, and one of its biggest rivals in technology, Google. A recent report showed that the 113-year-old giant Ford takes the lead in race, followed by General Motors, Renault-Nissan, Daimler, and Volkswagen.
Experts say firms are considered successful if they can manufacture tens of thousands of vehicles that are easily used.
Dozens of countries have been experimenting self-driving vehicles from private cars to taxis and buses. The US has tested the most private self-driving cars. Last August, an autonomous taxi was tested in a business area in Queenstown of Nutonomy Company, which was established in 2013. Taxi Uber has 14 driverless vehicles running on Pittsburgh streets last September. The US, Canada, and Japan have begun to experiment self-driving vehicles. The United Arab Emirates is the first country in the Middle East that tested autonomous cars and plans to have these vehicles to run 25% of transport routes in smart cities by 2030.
According to the World Economic Forum, from now until 2021, the cost of the automobile industry’s shifting to digital technology, including driverless vehicles, will reach 67 billion USD, but the profit will be 3.1 trillion USD. China is predicted to have 8.6 million self-driving cars by 2035.
A self-driving car can see as far as 200m ahead while a human being can only see a distance of 50m. Experts say the software of a self-driving vehicle plays a key role in handling problems while running on the road.
Autonomous vehicles are proved to be able to ease congestion, prevent millions of accidents and save thousands of lives each year. Though it takes more time for this smart technology to change the automobile industry, it is having a bright future.