Self-drive vehicles won't necessarily mean driving job cuts: Iagnemma

But such vehicles may not hit Indian roads before North America, Europe, says the nuTonomy CEO

His company is currently adapting to the streets of Boston what it has learnt in Singapore; it will further adapt its technology to cities throughout the world. But highly complex driving environments like those in India will require substantial adaptation and customisation of self-driving software, says Karl Iagnemma, an alumnus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the founder of nuTonomy, a developer of software for self-driving vehicles. So, the introduction of self-driving vehicles in India will likely be later than in cities of North America, Europe, and the rest of Asia, Iagnemma tells Mugunthan K in an emailed interview.

The year 2016 saw top car makers and ride-hailing tech companies coming together to cooperate in the field of self-driving, adapting to the changing attitude towards car ownership. How do you think will it shape up in the coming years?

Autonomous vehicles promise to dramatically reduce driving-related injuries and fatalities, and bring freedom to the people prevented from driving by physical challenges. When implemented in a mobility-on-demand or taxi-like service in urban centres, autonomous vehicles may also serve to reduce the need for parking spaces and structures, allowing valuable urban land to be reclaimed for other purposes like parks. In 2017, we expect to see more partnerships among various players in the self-driving ecosystem, including software developers, vehicle manufacturers, ride-hailing companies, and others.

There are varied opinions on when self-driving might become common in day-to-day transportation. What’s your view on this?

Given the uneven global regulatory environment, it is difficult to estimate when self-driving cars will be deployed at a scale around the world. At nuTonomy, we are focused on developing a software system that allows our vehicles to navigate complex urban environments accurately, comfortably and safely. Our priority is readying our on-demand autonomous vehicle (AV) service for commercial launch in Singapore in 2018. Beyond Singapore, we fully expect that our system will be applied in many markets worldwide.

Developing and testing self-driving has proved a big challenge even in developed countries. In those like India, where roads and traffic systems are not that advanced, what would be the approach to building self-driving cars?

Our focus is on rolling out self-driving vehicles in dense, urban areas – and India certainly offers many of these environments. We adapt our software to the local conditions, including traffic density, road conditions, and local driving culture. We are currently adapting to the streets of Boston what we have learnt in Singapore; we will further adapt our technology to cities throughout the world. That said, highly complex driving environments like those in India will require substantial adaptation and customisation of self-driving software. For that reason, the introduction of self-driving vehicles in India will likely be later than in cities of North America, Europe, and the rest of Asia.

Whenever a disruptive technology comes into play, there are concerns over jobs. How do you see it affecting the jobs once self-driving becomes a reality?

We view AVs (autonomous vehicles) as an innovative and potentially complementary solution to enhance the efficiency and expand the capacity of a city’s transportation network. For example, in certain parts of Singapore today, there is more transportation demand than supply. On the supply side, there is ultimately a limited pool of drivers island-wide, and additionally there are periods in a day when few drivers want to operate. So, introduction of AVs to a city’s transportation system does not necessarily imply a reduction in driving-related jobs.

What do you think will be the impact on the number of cars sold when self-driving cars hit the roads?

We believe that self-driving cars are the future of transportation. AVs will fundamentally change the driving industry, as well as public transportation, by offering lower operating costs, increased safety and enhanced efficiency. We expect to see a shift from personally owned vehicles to use of AVs in a mobility service model.

Could you tell us more about your experience in Singapore so far?

Our ongoing public trials in Singapore continue to provide us with valuable feedback from riders on the entire experience – from booking to arriving at the final destination. Reactions from riders so far have been very positive. When people begin their ride, they are hesitant or excited, but they seem to quickly accept the fact that the car drives like they or any other driver would. The anxiety then dissipates. We have also seen passengers humanising cars by giving them names or comparing their driving to people they know. We are utilising this feedback and information to improve the comfort, performance, and safety of the nuTonomy fleet, as we work towards the commercial launch of our on-demand self-driving car service in Singapore in 2018.