Second Edition of the VEDECOM & MACIF Autonomous Vehicle Barometer

Three out of four French people are in favor of the autonomous vehicle, which could play a decisive role in rural areas

The second edition of the VEDECOM & MACIF barometer on the acceptability of the autonomous vehicle by the French reveals that 73% of them have a positive attitude towards this means of transportation: an increase of 3 percentage points compared to 2020 (equivalent to about 2 million of the French population).

In 2020, the French had a positive perception of the automated vehicle, given that it’s introduced in a context of environmental preservation and improvement of inclusive mobility. With the growth of autonomous mobility experiments on the French territory, has the perception of the French changed in 2021? Do they see themselves using it regularly, everywhere and for everyone? What do they expect from it?

“Mobility for all, autonomy for all: this is the ambition of our community of interest on shared autonomous vehicles for the past 3 years. The autonomous vehicle must first meet a societal need before being a technology used by individual drivers. It’s in this way that the shared autonomous shuttle will help to revitalize isolated areas by providing access to employment, health care or by making mobility accessible to all.” Yann Arnaud, Director of Responses to Member’s Needs and Innovation at Macif and Leader of the Autonomous Vehicle Community of Interest.

 

More than 50% of French people are ready to try it

18% of respondents have already seen an automated vehicle, 6% more than in 2020. More and more people want to test it, and 5% have had the opportunity to use one this year (2 points more than in 2020).

More than half of the French people (53.50%) say they intend to try autonomous mobility in the coming years (+11 pts). More than 6 out of 10 say so when they have already seen an automated vehicle (+15 pts) and more than 7 out of 10 when they have already used one (+10 pts). In general, nearly 4 out of 10 French people (39%) plan to regularly use an autonomous vehicle (+6 pts).

Iifography 1

The autonomous shuttle: a way to revitalize remote areas

The autonomous vehicle is highly anticipated in rural areas to provide for day-to-day services (e.g., on-demand services for isolated seniors or last-mile deliveries to industrial zones). It will finally make mobility accessible to all. A new way to get around? Yes for 67% of French people who believe that the shared autonomous vehicle will allow people living in rural areas to no longer be dependent on the private car. Nearly 3/4 of them think that shared autonomous shuttles would be useful in rural areas to go to appointments or to do shopping and 2/3 to go to the nearest town, the nearest train station or to work.

Automated mobility would respond to a concern that the French have for the most vulnerable populations. It would be useful in rural areas for the elderly (for 81% of respondents), then for those who do not have a driver’s license (78%), who do not have a car (74%), or for people with reduced mobility (64%). One French out of two would also be in favor of transporting children and teenagers in rural areas by autonomous shuttles.

Reaching out to those who will need it most

Although still low, the visibility of the autonomous vehicle is increasing throughout the country, including among rural residents. 12% of rural residents have already seen an automated vehicle, a figure that is up 4 points from 2020, but only 2% have used one (+ 1 point) compared to 7% of urban residents (+ 2 points).

The visibility of the automated vehicle is higher and growing more quickly among young people, city dwellers and executives: 24% of the 18-24 years old have seen an automated vehicle (+6 points), 23% of city dwellers (+7 points) and 22% of executives (+4 points). More than 8% of the latter have already tried an automated vehicle (+3 points). There is therefore an educational balance to be found between urban and rural populations, but also between young and old.

As for the unemployed, only 3.5% have tried an automated vehicle. This is a progression, though, since none had tried one last year.

 

Infography 2

The autonomous vehicle, associated with green energies

Autonomous vehicle is perceived as more ecological than non-autonomous vehicles by nearly 63% of respondents (+ 3 pts); 77% (+ 7 pts) of them even think that compliance with ecological standards will be mandatory. 62% of the French perceive the ecological side of the shared autonomous shuttle more than for individual automated vehicles, for which they have a reservation.

 

6 out of 10 French people say they are safer in an autonomous vehicle

Trust and safety is the second element that encourages the French to use an autonomous vehicle. Moreover, the same as last year, nearly 6 out of 10 French people (57.80%) say they feel safe in an automated vehicle and more than 5 out of 10 (54%; +2 pts) think that this vehicle is reliable.

The respondents consider using an autonomous vehicle as soon as they have seen or tested it at least once. To try it is to adopt it!

More confidence among the youngest respondents for level 3 – More than half of the French say they trust automated vehicles (+3 points). There is a 14 points increase in the 18-24 age group, with 41% trusting at least limited automated driving (i.e., level 3).

 

Autonomous mobility, symbol of freedom

 When asked this year about the main elements that would encourage them to use an autonomous vehicle in general, the French mention the first, the possibilities of well-being and freedom that it brings (41% of responses). Autonomy is associated with comfort and serenity, via the on-board activities it makes possible (talking on the phone, sleeping…). Autonomous mobility everywhere and for everyone is also very appealing to the French, who are already planning to use it in concrete ways (e.g., improving mobility for the elderly and connections between cities).

However, when the French have the choice between different types of automated vehicles, they prefer the one that allows them to be able to regain control (level 3) in order, for 55% of them, to keep the mastery and maintain complete command of the car.

 

Trying would be adopting it

The results of this second edition clearly show that the introduction of automated vehicles, as well as the more advanced experiments, have an impact: they maintain the positive perception of the French and their a priori confidence, as well as reinforce their feeling of safety. Awareness and perception indicators confirm that the French need to know more about this new kind of mobility.

INfography 3

For Eric Lebeau, Managing Director of the VEDECOM Institute, “this second survey clearly shows the direct and positive link between experimentation and acceptability of the autonomous vehicle: it is now time to move on to deployment and to observation during real-life operational service pilots. The popularity rating of autonomous vehicle is slowly but surely improving, with a strong expectation for shared and electric services such as shuttles, which are perceived as more environmentally friendly and inclusive than the individual vehicle.”

The major expectation is in rural areas where autonomous mobility makes sense. Autonomous shuttles will be relevant in these areas to improve the existing network and therefore the mobility of residents who do not have access to a personal vehicle, to provide new services, and to encourage car owners to use shared formulas.

“We still need to structure a sector that can respond to the needs of the local authorities, both in terms of opportunity studies, vehicles supply, services and appropriate infrastructure,” concludes Eric Lebeau.

 

Methodology of the VEDECOM & MACIF Acceptability Barometer

The Automated Vehicle (AV) Acceptability Barometer was conducted with a representative panel of the French population (gender, age, geographic distribution) consisting of 4,061 people. The questionnaire was administered from October 18 to 28, 2021. The questions asked made it possible to collect data on :

  • the relationship with the autonomous vehicle and in particular the main brakes and levers for using an automated vehicle
  • the preferred type of autonomous vehicle to be chosen among 4: Personal Vehicle (PV) level 3 (limited autonomous driving), PV level 4 (almost complete autonomy), Robot cab level 5 (complete autonomy), Bus / autonomous shuttle level 5
  • evaluation of the acceptability of the 4 vehicles including in particular the perception of the AV in terms of safety, trust, protection of personal data and attitudes (i.e. judgments on the desirability of an object or a behavior and/or its consequences, a positive attitude towards the AV amounts to judging it desirable whereas a negative attitude amounts to judging it undesirable) and the reasons for these choices
  • themes related to current issues: ecology, mobility in rural areas, energy, deliveries
  • the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents and their degree of technophilia (i.e., a technophile is a person who appreciates and/or encourages new technologies).

The barometer was built on the basis of the previous edition, new scientific studies and a series of interviews conducted with French people.

 

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VEDECOM Tech is launching M’OBS, the first rating agency for new mobility solutions in France

VEDECOM Tech, a trading subsidiary of VEDECOM, is launching M’OBS, France’s first rating agency for new mobility solutions. Its goal is to enable stakeholders in the mobility sector to have a clearer overview of the wealth of new solutions and offers available including car-pooling, car-sharing, micro-mobility, self-service vehicles, etc. This clarity will be particularly useful as the lockdown ends, when users will find a changed and disrupted new mobility ecosystem awaiting them.

To update their assessments, the M’OBS teams are examining the consequences of the crisis on participants in the new mobility industry.

In the meantime, M’OBS has unveiled its first study carried out before the health crisis began: a ground-breaking ranking of mobility operators worldwide focusing on three categories: the top mobility applications, the best prices proposed by shared mobility operators and innovative practices to manage the parking of bicycles and scooters. In doing so, the selected solutions have been allocated scores based on an evaluation method which takes account of economic performance and the user experience.

Portrait Stéphane Rabatel

“M’OBS came about when we noticed that there was a lack of information and benchmarks in the new mobility ecosystem. We aim to provide a 360° overview of existing national and international solutions. Each solution is assessed by the M’OBS team based on 46 analysis criteria. The objective is to help stakeholders in the mobility sector – including local authorities – to better understand both their environment and users’ expectations in order to identify the solutions best suited to their area” stressed Stéphane Rabatel, Former CEO of VEDECOM Tech.

VEDECOM is launching Mobility Camp: the website dedicated to teaching new forms of mobility

VEDECOM is launching MOBILITY CAMP, the first website dedicated to teaching materials for new forms of mobility. With more than 100 topics for its launch (white papers, videos, training courses, conferences, e-learning, educational games, etc.), it provides the keys to better learning, understanding and experiencing of future forms of mobility which will be more autonomous, shared and ecological.
As part of its mission to disseminate knowledge, the Institut pour la Transition Energétique (Institute for Energy Transition) aims to promote the investigation and study of innovative and sustainable forms of mobility that are currently at the core of the major challenges that society is facing.
The unique MOBILITY CAMP system supports the many players in the mobility ecosystem (industrialists, infrastructure operators, local authorities and users) to achieve their objectives and develop their expertise.

The mobility sector is experiencing significant transformation in areas such as technologies, consumption, services and regulations. In addition to industrialists, who have specific training needs to help them deal with the emergence of new professions, a significant number of players are looking for information on new forms of mobility, both for business and personal use. MOBILITY CAMP aims to meet their expectations.

It is a collaborative website that brings together a wide array of materials (white papers, videos, training courses, conferences, e-learning, educational games, etc.) from all types of organisations and dedicated to all new forms of mobility such as urban or in sparsely populated areas, on demand, shared and connected.

The mobility sector is experiencing significant transformation in areas such as technologies, consumption, services and regulations. In addition to industrialists, who have specific training needs to help them deal with the emergence of new professions, a significant number of players are looking for information on new forms of mobility, both for business and personal use. MOBILITY CAMP aims to meet their expectations.

It is a collaborative website that brings together a wide array of materials (white papers, videos, training courses, conferences, e-learning, educational games, etc.) from all types of organisations and dedicated to all new forms of mobility such as urban or in sparsely populated areas, on demand, shared and connected.

MOBILITY CAMP is organised in 4 categories to meet its 4 objectives:

1. Get to know the world of new forms of mobility by using a wide range of information media. Examples:
– MOOC: TOMORROW’S MOBILITY – Sustainable Technologies for the Automotive Sector (IFP SCHOOL)
– White paper on the autonomous vehicle (INRIA – French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation)
– Petit Campus: the train for tomorrow (Space science and society – IFFSTAR)

2. Experiment and try out the latest innovations: from prototype versions to tried and tested services, the site facilitates access to trials and demonstrations in order to give you a better understanding of new products and existing services:
– SAM (security and acceptability of autonomous driving and mobility) trials
– ITS Projects in Hamburg
– Transport on demand – available by reservation throughout the Île-de-France region

3. Find out about the most suitable training courses, expert bodies and networks offering opportunities in the new areas of mobility, etc.
– Télécom Evolution
– VEDECOM Training
– Blue2Bgreen

4. Find not-to-be-missed events and forums
– Movin on’Summit
– Viva technology
– Salon des Elus et Décideurs des Territoires d’Ile de France (Conference for Elected Officials and Decision-makers of the Ile de France Region)

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VEDECOM meets with local authorities at the Salon des Maires

VEDECOM meets with local authorities at the Salon des Maires

This year once again, VEDECOM and VEDECOM Tech have enjoyed an opportunity to meet with local authority representatives at the Salon des Maires exhibition. The yearly national event for public procurement stakeholders was held on 19-21 November 2019 at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris. An ideal opportunity for the Institute to present four innovative solutions to assist local authorities in their deployment of new mobility solutions: Marque ta Route (Mark your Road) and VEDETECT, alongside M’OBS and the interoperable supervisor for autonomous vehicles with enhanced perception.

An exhibition stand delving deep into the key issues facing local authorities

Located within the Transport and Vehicles zone, the Institute hosted an impressive stand at the Salon des Maires et des Collectivités Locales. Equipped with two didactic wall panels featuring both graphic artwork and screens, it gave a complete visual overview of the innovative mobility solutions presented by VEDECOM. Origami fortune tellers were hung from the stand, bearing the message: “when choosing mobility solutions for your local area, don’t leave your decision to chance”.

A somewhat unusual approach which was hugely successful! In the run-up to elections, the exhibition was a well-timed opportunity for VEDECOM to gauge the issues facing different local authorities, in all their diversity.

Marque ta Route and VEDETECT: two of VEDECOM’s award-winning innovations at the Grand Prix de l’Innovation

Among the four innovative solutions presented by the Institute, two were recognised by the Grand Prix de l’Innovation of the Salon des Maires on 22 October and were on show to the general public for the first time.

The “Marque ta Route” software, winner of the First Prize for Innovation in the Buildings/Public Works/Highways category, is a road assets management tool based on the PhD research thesis of Maxime Redondin. It provides a set of tools for reliability analysis and assistance with the replacement of road signage, using retroreflection data to automatically analyse road marking inspections.

The VEDETECT sensor network, created by Julian Garbiso, finalist in the NITC/Information Systems category, is a real-time system for measuring and analysing mobility. It uses artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to produce mobility measurements (flow, speed and start/end trajectories) that are comparable to results derived from more conventional methods at significantly lower cost. This solution, which will be expanded for use in estimating the density of pedestrians and passengers, will enable local authorities to better regulate traffic, and help them in formulating their transport policy.

Two VEDECOM Tech products: M’OBS and the interoperable supervisor for autonomous vehicles with enhanced perception

VEDECOM Tech also presented two new products. The M’OBS solution by VEDECOM Tech is an evaluation agency for new mobility solutions. It helps local authorities and mobility stakeholders to better understand their environment, to assess the suitability of new mobility solutions and to deliver the best possible user experience.

The commercial division of the VEDECOM Institute also showed a preview of its interoperable supervisor for autonomous vehicles with enhanced perception. Using an interface designed specifically for autonomous vehicles, the Supervisor provides access to a network of sensors installed on roadside infrastructures or in-vehicle systems. It also manages all communications between the different systems. In more concrete terms, it provides local authorities with an affordable and accessible learning and reporting tool to assist with implementing autonomous vehicle trials. It also provides assistance to transport operators and can incorporate new projects being developed by collective autonomous vehicle manufacturers.

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For a clearer overview of the burgeoning world of new mobility solutions, the VEDECOM Institute is introducing M’OBS by VEDECOM Tech

For a clearer overview of the burgeoning world of new mobility solutions, the VEDECOM Institute is introducing M’OBS by VEDECOM Tech

Carpooling, carsharing, micromobility, apps, self-service equipment, etc. With the explosion in the range of new mobility solutions, it is becoming difficult for users to find their way. What are the different solutions? How relevant are they to a specific territory? How sustainable are they and what is their business model? Will they offer users an attractive and effective journey so that they soon become indispensable? To help the different ecosystem stakeholders to better understand their environment, VEDECOM presents the M’OBS by VEDECOM Tech solution, a new mobility solutions agency.

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Nearly 700 children came to play and learn about mobility with VEDECOM!

Nearly 700 children came to play and learn about mobility with VEDECOM!

The VEDECOM Institute’s training team went to the Paris-Saclay Sciences Village in Gif-sur-Yvette on Friday, 4 October 2019. The day, which was organised as part of the Science Festival (or ‘Fête de la Science’), was focused on welcoming school children. Around 675 children came to the event and were able to learn about new mobility options at the VEDECOM stand through fun activities. This day confirmed the training team’s belief that mobility can be learned (starting at a young age), can be played with, and can be experienced!

As an R&D institute focused on sustainable mobility, the VEDECOM Institute has a mission to offer training and share expertise relating to the roll-out of new forms of mobility. Its purpose is to provide the general public with reliable scientific knowledge, all through a systems-based vision that integrates vehicles and mobility services. The trainings offered combine theory and practice and are created in direct collaboration with researchers. They take the form of awareness-raising initiatives and are aimed at designers and engineers in the mobility industry as well as local governments and the general public.

http://www.vedecom.fr/programme-formation/?lang=en

 

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