After Singapore, the Netherlands is the best prepared country in the world for the arrival of self-driving cars. In terms of infrastructure, among other things, our country scores high marks. When it comes to policy and regulation, the Netherlands also performs well.
This is according to KPMG's Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index 2020. The study analyses how 30 countries score on a the most important conditions for a successful, large-scale introduction of autonomous transport. These include government policy and legislation, quality of infrastructure, availability of new technologies and expected consumer acceptance.
Netherlands must surrender lead position
Despite finishing in second position, the Netherlands does have to give up a position compared to the 2018 and 2019 editions of the survey. The Netherlands previously led the rankings. KPMG points out that although the Netherlands continued to experiment with self-driving cars in 2019, these extensive tests also show that several challenges still need to be overcome for the large-scale embrace of autonomous vehicles. Incidentally, the difference between Singapore (25.45 points) and the Netherlands (25.22 points) is small. In comparison, Norway finishes in third position with 24.25 points, while the United States (23.99 points and Finland (23.58 points) close out the top five.
The Netherlands scores well in terms of infrastructure. For instance, the Netherlands has the highest number of charging stations per number of inhabitants worldwide. In terms of road quality, the Netherlands also scores high and only has to beat Singapore. The consultancy firm also points to a wide range of pilots. As a result, 81% of Dutch people actually live near a test site for autonomous vehicles. KPMG also notes that by 2019, the Netherlands has expanded the use of smart devices as part of its road network. These include traffic lights at 60 locations in the Netherlands that automatically transmit their status to self-driving cars.
COVID-19 pandemic
Consulting firm expects COVID-19 pandemic to have impact to market. Combined with changing user and environmental requirements for vehicles and mobility concepts, the pandemic could accelerate the development and rollout of autonomous vehicles worldwide. The Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index shows that autonomous vehicles are less of a hype today, but at the same time more progress is being made.
For the Netherlands specifically, KPMG points to nitrogen emissions, which exceed European limits. In response, the government previously reduced the speed limit on motorways. KPMG expects that measures to encourage a switch from fossil fuel to electric driving could increase the embrace of autonomous vehicles.
'High-quality but relatively small industry'
"Most countries have made clear progress in the past year," says Stijn de Groen, Lead for Mobility 2030 and strategy consultant at KPMG. De Groen: "We clearly see that more and more governments are focusing on developing appropriate regulations and promoting social acceptance of the technology. We hope our index contributes to this by making the development and differences in approach between countries explicit. In the 2018, 2019 and 2020 edition of the AVRI, the Netherlands ranks well. But if I follow the logic of the index, I fear that the Netherlands is ultimately not going to be the country where autonomous vehicles will be introduced first. The Netherlands has a high-quality but relatively small industry dedicated to developing autonomous vehicles and necessary technology. Innovations in this field are more likely to come from Israel, the United States or Japan. These countries already score high on Technology and Innovation and will climb further up the index with further encouragement on the other three pillars, such as policy and regulation, as well as through investment in infrastructure."
However, according to De Groen, the Netherlands is on the right track. "Several Dutch agencies and companies continue to experiment and learn. For example, in the pilot with smart traffic control installations as part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management's 'Talking Traffic' programme, but also through the Dutch role in 'truck platooning' research. Internationally, we are therefore still seen as a leader. At the same time, there are currently significant challenges in the Netherlands to actually get autonomous driving off the ground. For instance, the 'truck platooning' tests showed that it is not yet so easy to keep the trucks constantly interconnected. And attempts by the CBR, RDW, Rijkswaterstaat and a number of companies to examine the skill of an autonomous vehicle and provide it with a special 'driving licence' have not yet been successful either. Although today's autonomous vehicles are already highly advanced, there are still significant hurdles to overcome in the Netherlands before it can take to the roads independently. If we want to take advantage of autonomous vehicles at this stage, it can only be done in closed areas or designated roads and lanes. In a densely populated country like the Netherlands, this is difficult to achieve. This means that autonomous driving in the Netherlands is still some time away for now," De Groen said.
The Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index 2020 can be requested here.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
