FX.co ★ Top 10 countries ready to implement autonomous vehicles

10th place - Japan

Test drives of autonomous vehicles in Japan are a part of the preparation for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the near future, the country will launch Robot Taxi, an autonomous taxi, which will be used after the Olympics as a transport link between sparsely inhabited villages.

Robot Taxi developers are planning to implement a Robot Shuttle, a self-driving minibus on 6 seats. The vehicle will be used for the transportation of elderly people providing high-quality services at a low price.

Autonomous vessels are also in the course of active development. By 2025, they will be able to calculate, carry out self-diagnostics, and monitor the weather, etc. This will reduce the number of accidents, save fuel, and reduce overall costs on logistics.

9th place - UAE

The UAE invests billions of dollars in the development of autonomous vessels. However, there are no tech giant companies in the country.

In Masdar City, Navya autonomous vehicles have been tested since 2016. The vehicle can seat up to 12 passengers going at speeds up to 25 kilometers per hour. Navya uses on-board cameras and sensors that create 3D and 2D maps (detection of obstacles and their location), GPS technology (location identification), and V2X function (connected with traffic lights).

2getthere has recently successfully tested driverless subway. The company is also planning to link Dubai's Bluewaters Island to the city subway network.

8th place - Germany

Deutsche Bahn became the first company in Germany to launch a self-driving bus in 2017. The bus is used in a small Bad Birnbach community in Bavaria. In 8 minutes, 12 passengers (6 sitting and 6 standing) can travel for free from the train station to the thermal springs located in the city.

The Ligier EZ10 bus has an autopilot system and moves at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour, recognizing obstacles and, if necessary, turning on the brakes. However, a driver helps the bus to avoid obstacles. A black box is integrated in the Ligier EZ10’s system. It records the course of the trip. Companies such as BMW, Daimler, and Volkswagen try to comply with the requirements of the German government.

7th place- UK

Roads in the UK are recognized as one of the safest in the world. Implementation of autonomous vehicles together with the use of 5G technology can make them even safer. Several years ago, UK authorities introduced a law that made insurers liable for damage caused by driverless vehicles.

Currently, the Heathrow Pod, the country's first autonomous public transport, moves between Heathrow Airport terminals within a predetermined lane or in pedestrian zones. However, the country's authorities intend to implement self-driving vehicles by 2021. Back in 2018, the largest British carrier Stagecoach launched a full-size autonomous bus. It has no driver even for safety reasons.

6th place - Finland

Finland is also trying to take the lead in this field. Along with London, Los Angeles, and Buenos Aires, Helsinki takes part in the Bloomberg Aspen Initiative project, introducing self-driving vehicles into the urban environment.

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences has had many tests before it introduced other initiatives such as the use of self-driving vehicles on snowy roads by the VTT Technical Research Centre and testing of electric buses by Liger, a French automobile maker, on the metropolitan route Helsinki Robusline.

5th place - Sweden

Nowadays, Sweden is developing infrastructure that will be used by electric and self-driving vehicles.

Volvo autonomous bus, tested on roads near Stockholm, has been the first such project in the Scandinavian countries.

Since 2017, Nobina Technology has been testing two EZ10 minibuses for 12 passengers who have to travel 1.5 kilometers at a speed of up to 20 kilometers per hour. Nobina’s employee takes responsibility for the trip who is always in the cabin ready to take control in case of a sensor error.

Einride’s T-Pod driverless truck moves between DB Schenker’s distribution terminals and warehouses.

4th place - US

American tech giants such as Google, Apple, Tesla, Ford, General Motors, Uber, and others are actively investing in the development of self-driving vehicle technology.

Olli, a 3D printed electric minibus, is ready for mass production.

The Starsky Robotics startup tests the autonomous truck with a remote driver system.

In the summer of 2019, Florida authorities officially allowed robots to drive vehicles. However, the manufacturer takes full responsibility in case of an accident.

3rd place - Norway

Unmanned vehicles were tested in the country in early 2018. Regular self-driving buses launched by the Norwegian transit company Kolumbus travel at a speed of around 12 km per hour. They have 6 passenger seats and a driver in the cabin which inspires consumer confidence.

Test driverless buses on routes No.35 and No.85B run along Oslo streets. However, the total length of their route is only a few hundred meters.

2nd place - Singapore

Singapore has introduced very high taxes on private transport. Therefore, the city’s population starts using public transport instead. There is a center for testing autonomous equipment in Singapore. It attracts a large number of automobile manufacturers.

Singapore is the world's first city to launch a police robot. Peugeot and Scania have started testing their autonomous vehicles and tracks in the city’s testing center.

Self-driving buses are expected to start running in three Singapore districts during off-peak hours in 2022.

1st place - Netherlands

All the necessary conditions have been created in the Netherlands to launch a large robotic vehicle fleet where self-driving electric buses will move along a regular route along with other road users. This is especially true for trucks carrying flowers.

In the Netherlands, the WePod minibus, the world’s first driverless public transport began running on the streets. The Minibus can transport 6 people at a time and moves at a speed of up to 8 kilometers per hour. However, during rush hours, at night or bad weather conditions, its use is limited. Control over the movement of vehicles and passenger safety is carried out from a special operating center.