Nineteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge, and Society

Abstract

Autonomous driving has progress significantly in the last years. Recently, Tesla opens its ‘Full Self-Driving’ software to customers in the United States as a subscription service. This is another incremental step towards true driverless traffic. While today’s software does not make vehicles fully autonomous (the driver must keep control of the vehicle at all times) this future prospect is within our grasp. This paper focuses less on the technological components and software of autonomous vehicles. Rather looks at the fundamental implications of driverless traffic: (1) Economics of driverless vehicles: How will driverless vehicles shift the economics of transportation? (2) Business models and the mobility industry: How will business models and the competitive landscape alter? Will new players challenge the incumbents? (3) Customer adaption: How are transportation volumes shifting? What are entry points for driverless traffic? (4) Infrastructure needs: How will our road infrastructure and cities need to adapt to the traffic of the future? (5) Social implications: How will communities be impacted? Who are winners and losers of this development?