MIT has issued a research brief titled Autonomous Vehicles, Mobility, and Employment Policy: The Roads Ahead.  Here is Insider’s analysis of what it means for out of home.

A decade or more away or maybe never…

No driver involvement cars (e.g. Level 4 or Level 5) won’t happen soon due to sensor difficulties cost and mapping challenges.  Here’s a quote from the report: “Today, even the most optimistic timelines put Level 4 over a decade away.  Most predictions agree Level 5 is even farther off than that (beyond 2040, or even entirely impossible).”  Level 4 autonomy is driving in a tight geofenced urban area.  Level 5 autonomy is driving anywhere.  This is good news for rural out of home billboards.

A help for public transit instead of a replacement.

Autonomous vehicles will complement public transit networks: “…the wholesale replacement of public transit by automated cars or taxis seems highly unlikely.  That said, we see possibilities to integrate AV technology into existing mobility systems, as feeders to public transit or as parts of bus systems.”  Autonomous technology will allow transit agencies to replace bus drivers on geofenced urban routes and allow for feeder routes which go to and from transit stations.  The report cites May Mobility’s deployment of autonomous electric shuttles to connect transit stations and parking garages with commercial developments.

Insider’s take:  Good news if you own a roadside rural billboard plant or a transit advertising business.

[wpforms id=”9787″]

Paid Advertisement