Knowledge gap over self-driving vehicles causing problems, J.D. Power
by CM Staff
There is an opportunity to develop more effective training methods to help consumers learn about AV technology.
TORONTO — A new study from J.D. Power says consumer readiness for fully automated, self-driving vehicles in Canada is low.
J.D. Power conducted the study in conjunction with Partners for Automated Vehicle Education and MIT’s AVT Consortium.
Transport Canada funded the study through the Enhanced Road Safety Transfer Payment Program grant awarded to PAVE Canada.
According to the study, 67 per cent of Canadian consumers possess inaccurate knowledge of full automated, self-driving vehicles, but the study recognizes that this is not unique to Canadians.
More than 59 per cent of respondents to this study classified driver-assist technologies as being fully automated.
Technology failures and cyber security top the list of AV concerns as 48 per cent of consumers cite the possibility of AVs being hacked as a disadvantage. This concern is cited equally across generations. There is a desire for greater knowledge, as 77 per cent of consumers say they need more information on what the industry is doing to prevent hacking.
“Successful adoption of AV technologies may be best facilitated when consumers are adequately educated and have a sound understanding of the technologies’ capabilities,” said Lisa Boor, senior manager of auto benchmarking and mobility development at J.D. Power in a statement.
“Consumers are receptive to learning about technology but managing misconceptions regarding the benefits AVs offer is imperative. Industry stakeholders must work together to ensure consistent consumer-facing terminology is used and that there is continuity in AV education across learning and information sources.”
Purveyors of this study designed it to assess what sources of information consumers have used to learn about the advanced driver assistance systems on their current vehicles and sources they prefer to use to learn about automated vehicles in the future.
32 per cent of consumers reported they preferred using the owner’s manual. Another 30 per cent used explanations from the dealership. 25 per cent used knowledge from family and friends as their resource.
Where fully automated, self-driving vehicles are concerned, 50 per cent of consumers prefer online searches for their information, another 50 per cent prefer vehicle manufacturer or developer websites, 36 per cent prefer online videos, and 34 per cent prefer industry and academic experts.
The underlying message J.D. Power and other contributors have found in this study is that there is an opportunity to develop more effective training methods to help consumers learn about AV technology.
