Autonomous vehicles: Why the revolution is still a long time coming!

Autonomous vehicles: Why the revolution is still a long time coming!

San Francisco, USA - The dream of driving autonomous, a topic that started 20 years ago with the tests of the US military in the Mojave desert is still under development. Since then, considerable progress has been made, but the broad introduction of autonomous vehicles continues to be a long time. Various automobile manufacturers and startups had to cancel their promising projects due to high costs and technical hurdles. Regulatory authorities have tightened the supervision, especially after several accidents with partially automated vehicles. Today, companies that work on technology are extremely careful not to get into trouble through negative press and possible reputation damage. root nation reports, for example, that Tesla and Waymo are at the top of the development of autonomous driving services. Waymo has now started robotaxi services in several US cities.

In June 2025, Tesla in Austin, Texas, started a “Robotaxi” service with 10 to 20 model Y vehicles that are under driver supervision. Elon Musk, known for his ambitious promises, plans that his cybercab, a fully autonomous taxi service, will be launched by 2026. But the legal framework is complex. In California, strict regulations for autonomous vehicles apply, while Texas has far more relaxed laws, which makes it an attractive test area. According to Legal Reader , liability in accidents with autonomous vehicles is often unclear, and the different regulation between the states can significantly hinder development.

security concerns and technology

A central topic is the security concerns about autonomous vehicles. Human mistakes are the main cause of accidents, and autonomous systems could help. These rely on artificial intelligence and advanced sensors to make decisions, with technologies such as computer vision play a crucial role. roboted emphasizes that over 90 % of accidents can be attributed to human failure. So if we want to increase efficiency and safety in road traffic, it would be an advantage to develop autonomous driving.

The success of companies such as Waymo, which has recorded an accident damage reduction of 88 % with artificial intelligence and a reduction in personal injury by 92 % compared to human -controlled vehicles, show the potential of this technology. Nevertheless, there are some challenges to cope with, including data protection concerns and technical problems. In Texas, where Tesla has reported 299 adas-related accidents since 2021, the question remains whether autonomous vehicles should pass a driving test to be able to drive on public roads.

future developments

Although the industry looks promising, the market leaders like Tesla, Google and Uber face numerous hurdles that they have to overcome. This includes the need for specific legal regulations as well as progress in artificial intelligence and computer vision. Analysts estimate that real fully autonomous vehicles (level 5) will come onto the market at the earliest in 2035. The introduction of this technology depends on technical, ethical and infrastructural challenges that are currently still difficult to estimate. It remains exciting to observe how the developments will be shaped in the coming years, but the future of mobility seems to be clearly on the side of the autonomous vehicles.