A new report from Navigant Research analyzes the technologies required to implement highly automated driving capabilities, providing an analysis of major market issues as well as global forecasts for sensor and electronic control unit sales, through 2026.

Ever-increasing computing power, new sensing technologies, software architecture advancements, electric propulsion, and wireless communications are enabling the development of vehicles that will eventually be able to drive in almost all road and weather conditions without human intervention. As automated capabilities become more sophisticated, their potential to have a major effect on various societal issues, including safety, air quality, energy use, and road congestion, continues to increase.

“As the level of automation increases to the point where human drivers will not be expected to take over control in the event of problem, these vehicles will require a degree of redundancy in sensors, compute platforms, and actuators that is unprecedented in automotive applications, thus driving demand for all of these components,” says Sam Abuelsamid, senior research analyst with Navigant Research.

With more than 1.2 million people killed globally each year and tens of millions more injured in traffic accidents, the potential for automated vehicles to bring the crash rate down could significantly reduce the human cost of transportation, according to the report. At the same time, shared automated vehicles can eventually reduce both the total number of vehicles and the amount of land mass allocated to parking idle, personally owned vehicles, in addition to other benefits.

The report, Automated Driving Vehicle Technologies, examines the technologies required to implement automated driving, with a focus on solutions that go above and beyond current driver assist systems, including perception and actuation systems, software, and compute platforms. The study provides an analysis of the major market and technology issues associated with the AV technologies required to enable highly automated driving capabilities. Global market forecasts for sensor and electronic control unit sales, segmented by technology and region, extend through 2026. The report also examines the major demand drivers and key industry players within the competitive landscape.