Uber to Launch Self-Driving Cars in San Francisco

United States: Uber has been testing self-driving cars which were accompanied by drivers in San Francisco for the last three to four months. As per the company the vehicles are being solely used for collection of data for upgrading their maps. Uber believes that mapping the streets is an important step to ready the self-driving vehicles for open roads.

As per the company, there is no official roll-out time for the autonomous vehicles. So far, the company is testing its autonomous vehicles in only Pittsburgh, the company is believed to use Volvo SUVs and Ford sedans for testing their autonomous vehicles.

"We're at the very beginning stages of becoming a robotics company," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said, he further added that, "As we move toward the future, autonomy is a pretty critical thing for us. It's existential."

As per TechSci Research, the radio taxi services in United States are gradually adopting to the concept of autonomous cars. However, in the coming years it is anticipated that the demand for autonomous cars in the form of radio taxis will increase which is likely to drive the global autonomous car market.

According to a recent report published by TechSci Research, “Global Autonomous Car Technology Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2035 – ADAS, Semi-Autonomous, Fully-Autonomous”, globally, the automobile sector has been constantly evolving in terms of engine performance and design. Apart from these parameters, evolution of autonomous features in passenger cars is garnering attention of consumers across the world. Global autonomous car technology market is primarily divided into three segments - Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) car technologies, semi-autonomous car technology and fully-autonomous car technology. ADAS technologies are currently moving at a brisk pace on account of rising inclination towards greater automation. Moreover, fully-autonomous cars are expected to be commercially available by 2025, which is expected to translate into dramatic growth in the market. Key factors which are expected to drive growth in the market over the next twenty years include anticipated increase in regulations mandating integration of autonomous technology in new vehicles, decline in prices of autonomous technology and the rising focus on safety on roads.