Autonomous vehicles: Automotive and transportation disruption

It is extraordinary for a technology to have the opportunities and disruption potential that autonomous vehicles will have over the next decades. Market opportunities worth trillions of dollars are forecast to emerge across transportation segments and different AV use cases. Tens of billions of dollars have been invested by high-tech companies, startups, auto manufacturers, their supply chains and many other companies-with more to come. To give perspective, the table below summarizes the potential impact of AV technology. It is imperative to understand the difference between SAE Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous operation. L4 AVs can operate in specific areas that are usually defined by geographic boundaries. L4 AVs also include preprogrammed, fixed routes such as local bus routes, campus routes and similar trips-usually at low speeds. L5 AVs are autonomous vehicles that can operate anywhere within a country.