SIX Reasons Why Self-Driving and Electric Cars are Farther Away Than You Think

With almost all manufacturers going the self-driving and electric route, you might think that we're going to get there in a few years. However, someone begs to differ.

Carla Bailo, an industry expert and president of the USA's Center for Automotive Research, gives us the low-down on why this may take years...or decades.

Here are her reasons:

1. Many consumers are still not convinced by these technologies and don't want them.
2. Only 3.8 percent of vehicles sold in 2030 will be capable of Level 4 or 5 autonomy, the highest levels of self-driving technology.
3. 90 percent of vehicles sold will still have conventional engines, with just 8 percent employing electrification or fuel cells in 2030. There will still be millions of vehicles on the roads that can't communicate with the new models.
4. In 2016, the average vehicle on US roads was nearly 12 years old, a longer lifespan than before. 
5. Reconciling vehicles designed and built in different eras will be a problem as new infrastructure is conceived.
6. Downturn in the economy could slow adoption of autonomous features, as automakers usually use profits from SUVs and large truck sales to pay for future technologies

So, it looks like it’ll take many, many more years for autonomous driving and EV vehicles to take over the roads of the world.

image credit - via www.autoblog.com