Driving a car is one of the more complex activities humans do regularly. But trust automation to make even that easy. What started out as an exciting area for experimentation for tech enthusiasts has now evolved to become a lucrative investment that requires to be backed up by sound policy measures. Over time, the myriad benefits of granting autonomy to vehicles is gaining acceptance. The pace of innovation in automobile technology over the years has been relentless, limiting the scope for accidents, reducing driver fatigue, altering conventional vehicle insurance plans and more. Moreover, autonomous cars could greatly help the disabled, elderly and disadvantaged travel with ease. While commercial application and use of autonomous cars and bikes on roads are still underway, a fair amount of progress has been achieved in controlled settings or ones with limited human activity. There has been a favourable uptick in the adoption of autonomous vehicles in factories, underwater and mines - as they primarily address worker safety by taking on dangerous tasks without running the risk of injury or death. 

KPMG's Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI) 2020 sheds a light on how businesses and decision makers are changing their approach to autonomous vehicles, and focusing more on establishing comprehensive policies and regulations that not only boost business prospects but also consider safety, inclusion and ease of use. 

"When we first published the Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index in 2018, there was widespread excitement around the technology, reflected in frequent media coverage. This has since reduced significantly and the casual observer could conclude that perhaps it was all hype after all, and that the autonomous revolution remains decades away. The reality however is that AV technology is entering a period of development maturity, during which the complex challenges of implementation are being addressed. The transformational potential of AV technology remains immense," said Richard Threlfall, Global Head of KPMG IMPACT, Partner, and Global Head of Infrastructure KPMG, UK. 

This third edition of AVRI showcases the evolution of policies and laws that have enabled the growth of AVs across key countries surveyed. As countries and jurisdictions learn from one another and further improve their policies, key aspects furthering the AV policy structure include safety, privacy, digital infrastructure, impact on transport systems and cross border travel. 

Keeping these in mind, here are INDIAai's pick of top countries that stand out in their approach to developing a reliable ecosystem for Autonomous Vehicles, with a keen focus on policy and innovation.

Singapore: 

Nudging The Netherlands in 2020's report is the Southeast Asian nation of Singapore. In January 2019, the city-state’s government published its TR68 draft national standards for such vehicles as well as a voluntary AI governance framework, with the latter updated in January 2020 with real use-cases and consideration of how AI must generate consistent results. In addition, Singapore expanded its AV testing area to cover public roads in Western Singapore, began retraining 100 bus drivers as safety operators with the target of serving driverless buses from 2022. The country's world class road infrastructure is to be credited for the support of such activities, as cited by the WEF Global Competitiveness Report 2019. In March 2020, South Korean vehicle maker Hyundai announced the launch of a global innovation center in Singapore by 2022, while Chinese vehicle electronics company Desay has set up its first overseas research and development center to work on AVs. In line with the car-lite policy of Singapore, AV adoption will be focused on freight transport and public transport first, before moving on to personal transport. 

China: 

The progress and pace of development in China has been quite fast. In 2019, the Chinese government allowed upto 5 AV test vehicles to be covered with a single license with human supervisors, but without the need for excessive control. In September, Shanghai became the first city to issue such permits, initially covering Chinese vehicle-maker SAIC and ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, as well as BMW. In March 2020, AV startup AutoX said it will launch 100 robotaxis in the city, the first allowed to operate at the speed limit of 80kph. Beijing has also undertaken significant work on testing. The national transport department published a digital transport strategic plan and in September 2019 central government published a digital transport construction strategy, which covers AVs as well as changing energy sources and improving environmental performance of vehicles. From May 2019, the government has published new standards for AVs, including in March 2020 a version of the internationally-used autonomy levels zero to five. The country has also forged key partnerships with industry leaders, mainly for deployment of AVs in warehouses and mines. Chinese companies are also building capacity as suppliers in AV technologies including chipsets, with around 36 investments made in 2019, and lidar, with four or five significant local companies. Suppliers are also developing sensors, AI algorithms and vehicle communications technologies. China's plans to adopt 5G will also boost EV development and adoption. 

United States of America: 

The USA is among the foremost for fostering innovation and creating a strong ecosystem for AVs - It has 420 AV company headquarters and is among five countries receiving the highest rating for industry partnerships. American technology-focused companies and established vehicle makers continue to dominate AV development worldwide. In June 2019 Apple bought Drive.ai, a Silicon Valley-based startup that has piloted AV technology that can be fitted to existing vehicles on fixed routes in Texas. In March 2020, Uber resumed testing AVs in San Francisco, two years after the fatal crash in Arizona where an AV killed a woman passerby. In addition to tech companies, car makers like General Motors and Ford continue their work on developing AVs. s. In January 2020, General Motors’ Cruise division unveiled the Origin, a purpose-built self-driving car designed for ride-sharing. Ford’s 2017 investment of US$1 billion in American AV startup Argo AI, which has run tests on public roads in Florida, Michigan, California and Texas, has been followed by German vehicle maker Volkswagen announcing it will put in a further US$2.6 billion. However, Ford has also said that AV applications will need to be geofenced, as the problem is still quite complex. When it comes to policies and government intervention, individual cities like Pittsburgh and Detroit fare better compared to the country as a whole. Moreover, US is still way below the global standards of infrastructure particular to AVs. 

Norway:

This Scandinavian country is a crowd favourite when it comes to AV development and adoption, mainly driven by its openness to new technologies. Ståle Hagen, Head of Mobility and Transport, KPMG in Norway, says, "Driverless bus services are becoming familiar to Norwegians. They are not skeptical about using autonomous buses. They think it’s normal and ordinary." The country has already begun practical application of AVs in 2019 - now three bus routes in Oslo are driverless (when running on relatively quieter roads). 56% of cars purchased in 2019 were battery-operated or plug-in hybrids, way ahead of 15% in The Netherlands. This is mainly due to the large subsidies on EVs as opposed to high taxes on fossil-fuel driven cars. Norway is a close second to the Netherlands on EV charging stations, with 2.4 per thousand people, has excellent broadband and 4G coverage and is rated second only to Finland on the availability of latest technologies. Top speeds of AVs could be increased from 16 to 20kph, and the government is considering pushing this to 25kph. Moreover, the government has allowed access to AVs to all age groups. In addition to cars and buses, Norway is also introducing autonomous boats and ferries, and freight carriers. 

United Kingdom:

Although it drops two places overall, the UK retains its second place on the Policy and Legislation pillar, with the government continuing to make substantial progress in his area over the past year. Building on 2018’s Automated and Electric Vehicles Act, UK Government launched its second consultation paper in a three-year review of the UK’s regulatory framework for automated vehicles. This explores AV regulation for public service vehicles, including how unstaffed minibuses or taxis would be kept safe and clean for passengers. Furthermore, in support of its Future of Transport Regulatory Review, UK Government has recently launched a wide-ranging consultation considering (amongst other areas) flexible bus services, micromobility vehicles such as electric scooters and mobility as a service (MaaS). The UK government has invested nearly $250 million in six test facilities for AVs in south-east and central England, coordinated collectively as “TestBed UK” by Zenzic. UK’s technology companies, universities, and research institutions are making a significant contribution to its AV capabilities. In December 2019, Alphabet’s AV company Waymo bought Latent Logic, an ML company spun out of Oxford University’s Department of Computer Science. While there is a healthy amount of progress on trials and tests, UK needs to do more to boost telecom infrastructure and industry partnerships.