Fleet Forward: State of Autonomous Vehicles, and What Fleet Managers Must Know Right Now – Mobility

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) aren’t just prototypes and press release hype anymore. They’re operating on public roads, scaling manufacturing, and seeing tangible policy traction. That said, we’re still removed from the fully autonomous future hyped back in 2017. 

Here’s a snapshot of what’s happening now and a few implications to contemplate to your future fleet planning:

State of AV Technology

AV Investment & Adoption

• Amazon-owned company Zoox, acquired for $1.2B, is constructing a 220,000 square foot facility to fabricate as much as 10,000 AVs per yr. Unlike others, these are purpose-built AVs and never retrofitted cars or trucks.
• Waymo and others have services launched now in Atlanta, and extra cities are lined up over the subsequent two years.
• Freight operator Aurora Innovation is increasing each day autonomous routes between Dallas and Houston, after completing over 60,000 miles without safety incident.

Policy and Regulatory Shifts

• NHTSA’s latest framework goals to scale back administrative burden for AV fleet operators. Less duplicate reporting, longer data submission timelines, and fewer overall roadblocks are in place for on-road testing.
• The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) are expected to be updated soon to raised fit AV designs and applications.
• The present administration’s expansion of AV exceptions and reduced concentrate on regulatory oversight are expected to drive increased near-term research and testing.

What AV’s Can and Can’t Do (Yet)

• Can: Safely drive in fixed, repeatable routes continues to see improvement and reliability. This may see continued expansion.
• Can: Completing certain fleet tasks corresponding to repositioning or driving to and from a service or rental hub is possible today.
• Can’t: Clean, fuel or charge themselves, or complete complex driver services corresponding to dropping packages or conducting sales or service work. These still require an individual on-site.

What Fleet Managers Should Do Now

1. Start tracking AV players and available metrics or stay connected & follow industry experts who’re monitoring essential AV market changes.
2. Take a ride in an AV if you happen to work in or travel to a city where they operate. Firsthand experience will change your viewpoint and the way your opinion is heard.
3. Advocate for AVs as a security technology, because the potential for bringing more drivers home safely each night is increasingly shown to be on par or surpassing other ADAS and AI-based camera solutions.
4. Include AV use case discovery on next yr’s goals for private development or fleet operation planning, to create time or pilot budget allocation as a part of future emerging tech testing.

Most fleet managers don’t need to arrange for a driverless fleet in the subsequent couple years. Nevertheless, we must always all start or proceed constructing muscle memory in assess our fleet-specific use cases, vendors, and feature-based pilot opportunities.