What are the benefits and challenges of autonomous vehicles for transportation engineering?

1 Benefits of AVs

AVs have the potential to improve the safety, efficiency, mobility, and sustainability of transportation. They can reduce human errors, traffic accidents, congestion, emissions, and fuel consumption, as well as enhance accessibility, comfort, productivity, and convenience for travelers. They can also enable new modes of transportation, such as shared mobility, platooning, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. AVs can create opportunities for transportation engineering to optimize the use of existing infrastructure, design new facilities, and integrate different modes and services.

2 Challenges of AVs

AVs also pose significant challenges for transportation engineering, such as technical, legal, ethical, social, and economic issues. They require advanced technologies, such as sensors, algorithms, software, and cybersecurity, that are reliable, robust, and interoperable. They raise legal and ethical questions, such as liability, privacy, security, and decision-making, that need clear and consistent regulations and standards. They affect social and economic aspects, such as public acceptance, equity, employment, land use, and travel behavior, that need careful assessment and management. AVs demand transportation engineering to address these issues and ensure the safe, efficient, and fair transition to and coexistence with AVs.

3 AVs and ITS

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are systems that use information and communication technologies to enhance the performance and management of transportation systems. AVs are a key component of ITS, as they rely on and contribute to the collection, processing, and exchange of data and information. AVs and ITS can work together to improve the coordination, control, and optimization of transportation systems, such as adaptive traffic signals, dynamic routing, real-time information, and smart parking. AVs and ITS can also support the development of connected and cooperative systems, such as vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, that can enhance the safety, efficiency, and mobility of transportation.

4 AVs and emerging technologies

AVs are not only influenced by but also influence other emerging technologies in the transportation sector, such as electric vehicles (EVs), blockchain, and 5G. EVs are vehicles that use electric motors instead of internal combustion engines, reducing emissions and fuel consumption. AVs and EVs can complement each other, as AVs can increase the demand and utilization of EVs, while EVs can reduce the operational costs and environmental impacts of AVs. Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that enables secure and transparent transactions and data sharing. AVs and blockchain can benefit each other, as AVs can use blockchain to facilitate payments, contracts, and identity verification, while blockchain can enhance the trust, privacy, and security of AVs. 5G is the fifth generation of mobile network technology that offers high-speed, low-latency, and high-capacity connectivity. AVs and 5G can support each other, as AVs can use 5G to enable fast and reliable communication and data transmission, while 5G can enable new applications and services for AVs.

5 AVs and transportation engineering skills

AVs have implications for the skills and competencies of transportation engineering professionals. They require transportation engineers to have a multidisciplinary and holistic approach, as well as technical and soft skills. They need to have knowledge and expertise in various fields, such as computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and urban planning. They also need to have skills in data analysis, modeling, simulation, optimization, design, testing, evaluation, and management. Moreover, they need to have communication, collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and lifelong learning skills. AVs offer transportation engineers new challenges and opportunities to innovate and contribute to the advancement of the transportation sector.