Germany has a lead when it comes to autonomous driving, at least in one respect: The Federal Republic is “in first place” in terms of the application and legal framework for driverless driving, says industry expert Johann Jungwirth in the new episode of the “Fast Lane” podcast. by Tagesspiegel Background.
That is also the reason why Mobileye decided to initially offer its service in Germany in addition to Israel, according to the 49-year-old, who has worked for Mobileye as Vice President for around three years after positions at Mercedes, Apple and Volkswagen.
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At the end of the year, the Intel subsidiary in Munich wants to put the first fleet of autonomous vehicles on the road, which can be ordered and booked via an app. Provided that the Federal Council waves through the necessary regulation on Friday as planned, which specifies the law on autonomous driving passed in summer 2021.
As far as technology is concerned, it is “unfortunately that Germany is rather behind,” adds Jungwirth. There are also financial reasons for this: the development of the necessary hardware and software is expensive. It costs three and a half to four billion euros to “test, develop and put such a system on the road”.
Jungwirth believes that self-driving cars will become an integral part of everyday life in the next few years. Autonomous driving is not something “only for nerds, but for everyday use”. The manager expects nothing less than a “revolution” from autonomous driving. Roboshuttles would completely change the way people get from A to B in the next five to ten years. “It’s like switching from horse to car back then,” says the 49-year-old.