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The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
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$Billions Are Being Invested in Driverless Cars That Americans (and the world) Don't Want


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Washington DC May 5, 2016; The AIADA newsletter reported that a

According to Automotive News , the driver-less revolution is racing forward, as inventors overcome technical challenges such as navigating at night and regulators craft new rules.

Yet the rush to robot cars faces a big roadblock: People aren't ready to give up the wheel. Recent surveys by J.D. Power, consulting company EY, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Canadian Automobile Association, researcher Kelley Blue Book, and auto supplier Robert Bosch LLC all show that half to three-quarters of respondents don't want anything to do with these models.

"Technologically, we will be ready for automated driving within this decade," said Kay Stepper, a vice president and head of the automated driving unit at Bosch, which supplies components to the world's leading manufacturers. "But it will take well into the next decade to convince consumers."

In a survey released last week, J.D. Power found that just 23 percent of Baby Boomers would trust self-driving technology. Acceptance improves with younger cohorts, but it's not overwhelming. For more on why Americans aren't interested in driverless cars, click here.