By Dllu - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikipedia Commons)

Automakers, Tech Companies Unite to Spread the Word About Self-Driving

Feb. 2, 2019

Audi, Daimler, GM, Toyota, and Volkswagen join Mobileye, NVIDIA, and Waymo in an effort to educate the public and policymakers.

Murray Slovick

Partners for Automated Vehicle Education, or PAVE, is a newly formed coalition of leading industry, non-profit, and academic institutions. It recently announced a first-of-its-kind campaign to inform the public and policymakers about the potential and the reality of advanced vehicle technologies and self-driving vehicles.

“The members of this coalition come from a wide variety of interests, but we share two beliefs: A belief in the potential for advanced technologies, including automated vehicles, to transform the safety, mobility, and sustainability of transportation, and a belief that fully informing the public is essential to meet that potential,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, which, along with Audi of America, will serve as inaugural co-chairs of PAVE. “If we are going to save the lives that automated vehicles can save, the public and their elected representatives must be full participants in shaping the future of our roadways.”

PAVE will hold events across the country to introduce driver assistance and self-driving technology to consumers and policymakers; hold educational workshops to help federal, state, and local officials make informed policy decisions; and develop educational materials to distribute to retail sales and customer service personnel.

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Toyota Research Institute’s latest self-driving test car is this Lexus LS500h. (Source: Toyota)

“Traditional automakers and newcomers are investing billions of dollars in the technology that will make automated vehicles possible,” said Mark Del Rosso, President, Audi of America. “PAVE recognizes the need to invest in public information—in making sure consumers and policymakers understand what’s real, what’s possible, and what is rumor or speculation.”

PAVE seeks to bring realistic, factual information to policymakers and the public so that consumers and decision-makers understand the technology, its current state, and its future potential—including benefits in safety, mobility, and sustainability. The group will sponsor hands-on workshops in partnership with SAE International to give consumers the ability to see, touch, and feel developing AV technology. It will hold policy workshops in partnership with major academic institutions such as Stanford University’s Center for Automotive Research to help policymakers understand AVs and their potential. And it will produce a website and social-media content designed to reach broad audiences with factual, digestible information about AVs and their development.

PAVE members: