Seven out of 10 consumers believe autonomous cars drive better than humans or will surpass human abilities by 2029, according to a worldwide consumer survey commissioned by ANSYS. The complete ANSYS Global Autonomous Vehicles Report, released recently, uncovers varying consumer attitudes with autonomous vehicles (AVs).

ANSYS commissioned the survey to gauge global consumer perception of AVs and better understand expectations for the future of travel. In June, ANSYS unveiled a snapshot from this study of public attitudes toward autonomous aircraft. Today’s full release of the Global Autonomous Vehicles Report provides a more expansive analysis into public perceptions. The report confirms consumers have high expectations for autonomous capabilities and that consumers are comfortable with the idea of riding in autonomous cars and aircraft in their lifetime. 

Highlights from the report include:  

• Consumer Faith: Seventy-one percent of global respondents believe autonomous cars are better at driving than humans or will surpass human abilities within 10 years. 
• Embracing AVs: Japanese respondents were more confident in AVs than the global average; 83% believe autonomous cars will be better drivers than humans within a decade and 38% believe they already are. 
• Ready to Ride: Seventy-seven percent of global respondents would be comfortable riding in an autonomous car at some point during their lifetime. 
• Young Adopters: Eighty-seven percent of 18- to 24-year-old respondents and 88% of 25- to 34-year-old respondents reported feeling comfortable with autonomous cars in their lifetime. Forty-three percent of respondents over the age of 65 said they would never ride in an autonomous car. 
• Highs and Lows: At 97%, Chinese respondents were most open to riding in an autonomous car during their lifetime. By contrast, just 57% of respondents from the United Kingdom said they would be comfortable riding in an autonomous car. 
• Exploring Anxieties: When asked their top concern for riding in autonomous cars and planes, most respondents said technology failure at 59% and 65%, respectively. 
• Trust in Car Manufacturers: Twenty-four percent of respondents believe luxury car companies would offer the safest autonomous driving experience, followed by technology companies that may one day offer an autonomous car (20%) and non-luxury brands (16%).

Autonomous cars require billions of miles of road tests across a vast number of driving conditions to ensure consumer safety, which cannot be accomplished in our lifetime with physical testing alone. Simulation greatly reduces the need for physical road tests and is the only way engineers can more quickly test thousands of AV travel scenarios, maximize the performance of sensors and perception algorithms and ensure safety. 

To view the report and learn more about the survey, visit www.ansys.com/av-report.