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68 Big Data Analytics for Connected Vehicles and Smart Cities Connected and Autonomous Vehicles 69

MAN, Scania, and Volvo, used state-of-the art technology to drive in platoons
on public roads, from various European cities to the Netherlands. They traveled
on the main EU ITS corridors like the Nordic Logistic Corridor and the route
between Rotterdam, Frankfurt, and Vienna. Truck platooning involves two or
more trucks traveling in convoy in close proximity.
The first truck had a driver while the following trucks in the platoon were
connected to this truck using wireless communications. Autonomous trucks
have driven millions of miles in both the United States and Europe, and the
technology is available to operate the vehicle in an autonomous mode.
The emergence of autonomous vehicles has been driven by the availability
of low-cost video cameras, LIDAR, and other sensors and actuators that enable
autonomous operation. This has been paralleled by the growth in the develop-
ment of suitable software and the emergence of artificial intelligence and ma-
chine learning techniques. The latter can be adapted to teach vehicles how to
drive without a driver.
Substantial challenges must still be overcome before the widespread A
particular challenge is the definition of suitable transition arrangements that
enable autonomous vehicles to be introduced on a gradual basis within a mixed
traffic flow situation. In this context, some vehicles are autonomous, while some
vehicles are still operated by drivers. This is particularly problematic since not
all vehicles will be under automated control, and drivers could be tempted to
game the situation by exhibiting dangerous driving behavior in the knowledge
that the autonomous vehicles will compensate accordingly.
What is not yet clear is how both the public and transportation regulators
will react to this technology. There are also some challenges associated with the
gradual introduction of autonomous vehicles into traffic streams comprised of
both autonomous and nonautonomous vehicles.

4.7 Autonomous Vehicle Challenges

There is a range of challenges associated with the introduction and operation of
autonomous vehicles. These are explained in the following section.

Regulation
With the introduction of any new technology, a range of challenges, some of
which relate to the technology itself and some of which relate to how people re-
act to the technology, accompany the technology. If the technology is radically
different, as is the case with connected and autonomous vehicles, then con-
siderable effort may need to be made to ensure that the technology fits within
existing legal and regulatory frameworks. Otherwise, new legislation and new