What are the biggest obstacles that are preventing widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

The most significant aspect that many don’t realize is the amount of investment it takes to get an autonomous vehicle to drive down 100 meters of road. It is phenomenally expensive and relies on many complex processes. The routes and environments have to be mapped, annotated, and developed against to ensure safety. And in most cases, the AV technology for that is not sufficiently generalized or abstract. The widespread adoption of AVs is difficult because of the significant investment required for every new road it drives.

A typical Level 4 AV costs 100′s of thousands of dollars; compare that to an average road car that costs well under forty thousand dollars. Until these vehicles cost the same as a mass-produced car today, it’s hard to see millions of AVs built and deployed globally.

The socialization of this technology is another obstacle. We saw this with Electric Vehicles. Initial response to EVs was overwhelmingly negative, right up until their first test drive in an EV. This experience completely changed their minds. Thinking about something you’ve never tried before typically generates fear and anxiety. We, of course, see this with AVs as well—but attitudes change dramatically once they’ve experienced an actual ride in a fully autonomous car. 99.9% of the planet has not even seen an AV, most who have seen them have not been driven in one. We need to let people experience them and generate trust and acceptance; that will drive massive adoption.

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