Experts are saying China could be the first country to implement the use of autonomous vehicles on a large scale. China’s government policies, which favor electric cars, and the country’s attitude towards consumer patterns are convincing the experts of this.
Recently, the sale of electric cars has grown greatly in China, comprising over half of all global electric vehicle sales. This was caused by policies such as doubling electric charging infrastructure throughout the country. Limits were also placed on gasoline-powered cars.
Some say that their implementation of autonomous cars could prime them to loosen regulations on self-driving cars as well. Michael Dunne, the president of the Chinese automotive consultancy said “China will be the first to commercialize at scale simply because the regulators will pave the way with pro-autonomous policies.”
Daimler and BMW have already been granted permission to begin testing autonomous vehicles in Shanghai and Beijing.
Furthermore, some are also looking at consumer attitudes towards autonomous vehicles. In recent months, skepticism has grown towards self-driving cars in Europe and the U.S. Meanwhile in China, Dunne says “Consumers in China are far quicker to accept autonomous vehicles because the car ownership culture in China is a short and shallow 25 years compared with more than a century in the West.”
In the coming months, China’s developing involvement in the autonomous car market will be of great note.