Motional Releases Inaugural Consumer Mobility Report

BOSTON, Sept. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Motional, a global leader in driverless technology, today releases the inaugural Motional Consumer Mobility Report, a survey and report examining Americans' perception and understanding of driverless vehicles.

"People are more open to driverless vehicles than ever before -- but seeing is believing, and this is technology few people have actually experienced," commented Karl Iagnemma, President and CEO, Motional. "This report makes clear that familiarity is the key to adoption. As we get more cars on the road, we'll bridge the gap between the perception of this technology, and the reality of how positively and permanently it will change our daily lives."

The report revealed several key themes.

Safety FirstEstablishing confidence with consumers requires demonstrating the exceptional safety and reliability of self-driving vehicles.

• Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) say safety is the most important consideration when making the decision to use a self-driving vehicle.
• However, once the safety of the vehicles are established, Americans see the potential positive impact on their lives. In fact, when asked why they would consider opting for a driverless vehicle, safety was the top reason (36%), followed by the prospect of multi-tasking during the ride (15%), and helping the driving impaired (14%).

From helping lead the Safety First for Automated Driving white paper, to pioneering data sharing in the industry and safely moving more public passengers than anyone else, Motional leads the industry in safety.

COVID-19 Redefines Transportation Safety2020 has proven to be a pivotal year for driverless technology and the pandemic has challenged the global community to re-think transportation.

• 83% of Americans agree that access to safe, clean transportation is a public health issue and 70% of Americans believe the risk of infection is a real concern impacting their transportation decisions.
• 69% of Americans agree that COVID-19 has changed how cities should be planned in the future.
• Nearly one in five (19%) Americans are more interested in self-driving vehicles now than they were before the pandemic.

A Positive Impact on Cities and Communities Despite a need for more education about the technology, Americans appreciate the positive impact self-driving technology can have on their communities.

• 51% of Americans agree their communities haven't done enough to increase access to transportation, and 54% agree self-driving vehicles could address mobility access for the underrepresented.
• There is already a large market for driverless transportation - 62% believe self-driving vehicles are the way of the future

The Knowledge GapAs it stands, Americans generally don't consider themselves knowledgeable about this technology -- but those who do are ardent enthusiasts. 

• Respondents who identified as "extremely knowledgeable" about driverless vehicles are seven times more likely to say they're excited to ride in one than those who identity as "not very knowledgeable"
• Only 13% identified as  extremely or very knowledgeable about autonomous vehicles.
• Nearly two in five Americans (39%) believe self-parking and self-driving cars are synonymous, highlighting consumer confusion between self-drive and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)

"There's a powerful connection between education and adoption, and as driverless technology moves from nascency to familiarity, we'll see demand increase sharply." commented Iagnemma. 

See more findings from the Motional Consumer Mobility Report.

Motional is led by driverless technology pioneers who participated in the historic DARPA Grand Challenge, and founded nuTonomy and Ottomatika, early leaders in the space.  The Motional team was behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S., the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot (Singapore; 2016), and operation of the world's most-established public robotaxi fleet (Las Vegas; 2018 – present).  That fleet has provided over 100,000 rides, with 98% of riders rating their experience five-out-of-five stars.

The survey was fielded from July 17-21, 2020, and was conducted across 1003 responses from US consumers sampled using a blind online panel recruitment. The overall margin of error for the research is +/- 3.02% at a 95% confidence interval. 

About Motional Motional is a driverless technology company making self-driving vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality.

The Motional team was behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S, the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot, and operation of the world's most-established public robotaxi fleet.

Motional is a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group, one of the world's largest vehicle manufacturers offering smart mobility solutions, and Aptiv, a global technology leader in advanced safety, electrification, and vehicle connectivity.

Headquartered in Boston, Motional has operations in the U.S and Asia. For more information, visit www.Motional.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Contact:Sara Krypel [email protected]

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SOURCE Motional