The Growing Autonomous Vehicle Market in Germany
The German fully autonomous vehicles market is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 20.2% between 2020 and 2030 andattain a valuation of $28.0 billion by 2030, as per the estimates of P&S Intelligence, a market research firm. The German autonomous vehicles market is being driven by the increasing implementation of various government initiatives that encourage the deployment of autonomous vehicles in the country and the rising requirement for a more efficient and safer driving option all over the country.
Revolutionizing Mobility: The Rise of Autonomous Vehicles in Germany
The German government was the first one in the entire world to authorize fully and semi-autonomous driving systems. The government announced its plans to build autonomous driving facilities and infrastructure in the country in December 2016. This was followed by an amendment to the Road Traffic Act in June 2017, which allowed drivers to give away driving controls to autonomous vehicles. As a result, there are many semi-autonomous automobiles (level 1—3) running on German roads today.
Innovations and Developments in the German Autonomous Vehicle Market
In these vehicles, the steering and acceleration/deceleration can be controlled and operated by the vehicle itself but the driver is required to be on board so that in emergency situations, he/she can take over the driving controls. Furthermore, major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and technology developers are focusing on developing level 4 and level 5 autonomous vehicles. Moreover, they have got approval from the regulatory bodies for testing driverless automobiles on public roads.
Challenges and Opportunities in the German Autonomous Vehicle Market
Some cities in Germany have allowed these OEMs to operate pilot fleets in isolated areas for testing the autonomous technology. Regular road traffic will be recreated in these isolated areas for testing the real-time reliability and performance of these vehicles. For example, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) in collaboration with Navya SAS and EasyMile SAS began a pilot projectin March 2018 for testing autonomous shuttle. This shuttle would be tested on Charité’s campus in Berlin.
Germany’s Role in the Global Autonomous Vehicle Market
When vehicle autonomy is taken into consideration, the German autonomous vehicles market is divided into fully autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. Of these, the semi-autonomous vehicles had 100% share in the market in the years gone by. However, this will change in the future and the fully autonomous vehicles category will register the highest CAGR in the market between 2023 and 2030, owing to the development of fully autonomous vehicles, which are predicted to hit the market in 2023.
Reshaping Germany’s Mobility Landscape: The Future of Autonomous Vehicles
The German autonomous vehicles market is also divided, depending on application, into ride hailing, motor coaches, personal cars, transit buses, and logistics. Out of these, the motor coaches category is predicted to exhibit the highest CAGR in the market in the coming years. This would be because of the rising popularity of shared autonomous vehicles all over the country, on account of the growing consumer preference for these services over the personal ownership of vehicles.
Safety and Regulations in the German Autonomous Vehicle Market
Hence, it can be concluded that the market would demonstrate rapid expansion in the future years, primarily because of the rising implementation of initiatives by the government that support the deployment of autonomous vehicles and the growing consumer demand for safer and more efficient vehicles in the country.
