The commercial vehicle industry has seen significant changes since the global economy recovered from the recession. The global trucking industry is accelerating, with a rapidly increasing profit pool and the acceptance of market trends like “Telematics,” “Autonomous Driving,” and other game-changing technologies.
The growth and acceptance of autonomous driving in commercial vehicles differ between developed economies like the US and Europe and emerging markets such as India.
Commercial vehicles will follow the driverless car revolution. This is the next logical move. Daimler already has its first autonomous truck on the road in the US. Daimler claims that “this is a truck where the driver can finally relax – at the very least, from the steering wheel.”
About a dozen Volvo & Daimler trucks completed a week-long, largely autonomous driving exercise across Europe in April of this year. This was the first large-scale test on the continent.
According to industry experts, autonomous trucks could take ten more years to operate on public roads. This trend depends more on the legal system, government policies, and approvals than technological advancement.
India is a nation with enormous potential for IT and analytical skills. India can take over a large part of R&D, technological development, and R&D. We may need the most suitable legislative system or open public opinion about such products.
Experts say that the agriculture sector is an excellent place to start as a first adopter, mainly because of two main reasons. The vehicles will be operated away from humans, ensuring the safety of those around them. The second reason is that the economy will grow faster if we address the food supply issue. Modern tractors are also very similar in technology to modern cars.
It is easy to understand why India’s Mahindra Group – the world’s largest tractor producer – has begun R&D on autonomous commercial vehicles, including driverless tractors. Anand Mahindra is the Chairman and Managing director of the Mahindra Group. He believes that autonomous tractors could be the future of agriculture.
It may seem unrealistic to think that autonomous commercial vehicles will operate on India’s public roads, but wasn’t this what we believed about other technologies 15 years ago? Look at what has happened. Every trip we make is dependent on the navigation systems.
This is not a change that will happen overnight. This concept can’t be tested in India at the moment due to the lack of regulations or the fact that there are none. However, we should acknowledge the large talent pool of our country in terms of technology, and we should have faith that we may see some automated commercial vehicles in India.
What is your opinion as specialists in your fields? Do you believe this trend will remain a concept, or could it become a reality sooner?
