A recent study by KPMG ranked countries across the world based on their infrastructure preparedness for autonomous cars.
According to the report titled Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI) :
“Electric vehicles, mobility on demand, digital railways, drone deliveries and ultra-high speed trains are just some of the components of that revolution.
“But it is autonomous technology that will really transform our lives, because it will mean for the first time in history, mobility freedom will be available for everyone, everywhere.“
The study is based on four primary pillars: 1. Policy and Legislation 2. Technology & innovation 3. Infrastructure and 4. Consumer acceptance.
The Netherlands tops the list as it is within the top four of each of the four pillars and ranked number one on infrastructure.
It also has by far the highest density of electrical vehicle charging points, with 26,789 publicly-available points in 2016 according to the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook.
At No. 7 in the list, the UAE scores well on both policy and legislation, and on infrastructure.
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On the former, it is credited for having a specific AV function within its transport department, for quality of regulation and for government capability in KPMG’s Change Readiness Index.
On infrastructure, it has the highest ratings of all 20 countries in this research for road quality from the World Economic Forum and for technology infrastructure from the Change Readiness Index.
However, the research suggests that the UAE lacks AV technology company headquarters, patents or investments, largely explaining its lower rating on technology and innovation.
Consumer survey data shows a high level of acceptance of AV technology, but KPMG’s Change Readiness Index rates the country lower than others for people and civil society’s use of technology.
The report concludes that Planning, Partnerships and Succesful Networking between key stakeholders will be critical for bringing autonomous vehicles on to the roads of metro cities across the world in the not-too-distant future.
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