Large-scale autonomous vehicle adoption will be a reality in two
to three years.
2020 looks set to be the breakthrough year for China's
Ministry of Industry & Information Technology's (MIIT)
'Plan for Development of Innovative Online Vehicles' (AV
Plan).
The AV Plan sets out a number of ambitious goals to develop
China's Autonomous Vehicle industry, but in particular it is
the goal – rapidly being implemented and reaching critical
mass in certain locations in 2020 – of 'improved
intelligent road infrastructure (IRI)' which is catching the
attention of insurers.
Although elements of China's domestic AV programme and
technology lag some of those currently being developed in the
United States, IRI is a 'game-changer' in that it allows
AVs with far simpler on-board IT hardware and software to navigate
'messy' city streets safely and accurately.
