Coronavirus: Make Or Break For Autonomous Electric Vehicles (A-EVs)
The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic may shape the world into an entirely different form and that will take some getting used to. It is not news that many of us have never and may never again witness such an event during our lifetime. What we are experiencing will bring changes in how we interact with one another, move from place to place, and even how we behave in public spaces. I’m thinking twice before eating on a public bench…
Sooner or later, we will have to resume our daily lives and attempt to return to normalcy.
Cities like Milan have started making preparations for life after the lockdown. The ‘Strade Aperte’ plan announced by Macro Granelli, a deputy mayor, involves the creation of low-cost temporary cycle lanes, new and widened pavements, 30kph (20mph) speed limits, and pedestrian and cyclist priority streets. All to reduce motor vehicle traffic and lead to a slower-paced commute that would benefit bars, restaurants, and other shops as the economy reopens. You are more likely to stop by a bar when cycling or walking past one as opposed to driving past at higher speeds. If this plan is successful it may become a model for many cities as they open up to life after lockdown.
The reduction of motor vehicle traffic has some additional benefits. Fewer cars on the road would mean less carbon emissions and safer roads.
What exactly is the buzz behind A-EVs?
Electric Vehicles appears to be our best chance of reducing carbon emissions caused by internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE).
Road transport accounts for more than 40% of global oil demand- BloombergNEF
If a city explores the possibility of reducing motor vehicle traffic amid a health crisis and carbon emissions by cutting down the sizes of her roads, it only makes sense to also explore the use of autonomous vehicles to move people safely from point A to point B because this will aid in reducing human-to-human interaction. Autonomous Vehicles make use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and this creates data generation and communication channels that may prove priceless in the long run.
In the broadest sense, the term IoT encompasses everything connected to the internet, but it is increasingly being used to define objects that “talk” to each other. “Simply, the Internet of Things is made up of devices — from simple sensors to smartphones and wearables — connected together,” Matthew Evans, the IoT programme head at techUK, says.
An autonomous vehicle would have the capacity to communicate with other computers through IoT. Traffic data, Pedestrian information, and even Passenger information can be used to make informed decisions. This could improve the overall safety of our roads and help combat climate change.
How can A-EVs help during a pandemic such as this?
An autonomous vehicle eliminates the possibility of being picked up by a sick taxi driver. It can also be used to safely transport coronavirus patients to hospitals. An autonomous vehicle can be fitted with in-cabin solutions that may help detect a sick passenger and flag the passenger to be tracked by the relevant authorities. Although privacy concerns may abound, that could be a really helpful feature.
Already, in China, companies like Neolix are capitalizing on human-free delivery services, with autonomous vehicles dropping off food, groceries, or whatever you want.
The transportation of goods is safer than people and that is where autonomous vehicles may fall short as ride-sharing/carpooling is estimated to be the highest revenue stream for companies in this space.
There are two major constraints which have to be considered in the implementation of self-driving cars during the coronavirus pandemic;
- High Cost
- Personal Proximity
High Cost
A robot chauffeur won’t come cheap, at least not yet. Tesla’s entry-level Model 3 starts at $41,190 before adding options. Autonomous vehicles aren’t cheap and when you realize that the current systems are not all that capable, it makes things even worse.
Tesla cars operate at SAE Level 2, which is partial automation and therefore still requires human effort. A fully automated car would be required to operate at Level 5 where it would not require any form of human intervention and can operate in all driving conditions. This level of automation would drive up the cost of an A-EV by a very significant margin.
Now that we’ve established that autonomous vehicle transport requires sizeable investment capital — this is where ride-sharing comes in — after all more riders would mean more revenue right? Unfortunately this leads us to our second problem…
Personal Proximity
Social distancing remains one of the most effective methods in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. This will pose a huge limitation to ride-sharing, making the use of self-driving cars a health risk. Interior designs of autonomous vehicles are being reimagined to shift away from the orthodox seating arrangements we all are familiar with. Many of the reimagined designs include face to face seating arrangements which could easily become a horror show if someone sitting opposite you sneezes during a ride.
Personal proximity is a huge factor in ride-sharing with the presence of a highly contagious disease. The installation of in-cabin solutions such as a disinfectant mechanism, isolation pods, and other creative solutions is a possibility but this would only drive up costs even further.
In conclusion, contactless technology to eliminate human interaction has never been more appealing than it is today. This presents an opportunity for autonomous vehicles to earn some goodwill in the battle for public trust and win over the percentage of the population who regard robot cars as a danger to human life. In all of this, one thing is evident; humans are a biohazard, machines are not.
