Analyst firm Juniper Research has evaluated 20 countries according to their readiness for autonomous or self-driving vehicles.
Six Asian countries including Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, India and China are part of the list.
Autonomous Vehicle Country Readiness Index 2018
United States
Singapore
Japan
United Kingdom
South Korea
Netherlands
Malaysia
India
China
France
There will be over 50 million autonomous vehicles on the road, with over 10 million in the US and 15 million in the Far East and China by 2026.
In comparison, the global market will account for 1.5 billion vehicles on the road during the same year.
The report said societal shifts, smart city mobility schemes and technology infrastructure will start autonomous vehicle sales. These include softening demand for vehicle ownership driven by the emergence of concepts such as Mobility-as-a-Service, driving safety benefits and establishment of V2X (vehicle-to-anything) communications.
“The US has all the key ingredients for autonomous vehicles to operate at scale. Federal and local authorities supporting AV trials, Silicon Valley and universities spawn firms that can deliver the technology, many local competitors are introducing driverless technologies plus the car remains vital for commuting and leisure travel,” Research author Michael Larner said.
OEMs will incrementally add driverless technologies to newer vehicle models. US and China will be the key regions to watch as new policies and guidelines for autonomous vehicles flourish; and combined, will account for nearly 65 percent of global autonomous vehicles sold in 2019.
