• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, August 8, 2019

Developers of self-driving cars and the consumers who may be targeted for riding in those vehicles don’t appear to be on the same road.

It turns out that consumers globally have a low level of confidence about the future of self-driving cars, according to a new study.

On a 100-point scale, consumers had an overall score of 36, according to the J.D. Power study, which comprised a survey of 5,800 consumers conducted with Survey Monkey.

Scoring lowest among the self-driving attributes were comfort about riding in a self-driving vehicle (34) and comfort about being on the road with others in a self-driving vehicle (35).

“As automakers head down the developmental road to self-driving vehicles and greater electrification, it’s important to know if consumers are on the same road and headed in the same direction,” states Kristin Kolodge, executive director, driver interaction and human machine interface research at J.D. Power. “That doesn’t seem to be the case right now. Manufacturers need to learn where consumers are in terms of comprehending and accepting new mobility technologies, and what needs to be done.”

The study found that more than a third (39%) of consumers were not excited about any self-driving technology such as public transit, delivery services, ride-hailing services or personal vehicles.

Consumer concerns about self-driving vehicles include tech failures (71%), risk of a vehicle being hacked (57%) and legal liability as a result of a collision (55%).

The majority (66%) of consumers say they have little or no knowledge about self-driving vehicles.

Looks like a long road ahead.