Consumers still have little confidence in self-driving cars and the sharing of public roads with autonomous vehicles, according to the American research firm JD Power. From one investigation among more than 5.000 participants, the confidence of the American public in self-driving cars is rated at 36 out of 100.

Industrial experts say that perfecting self-driving technology is more challenging than originally thought. They also recognize the importance of marketing self-driving technology to consumers to build understanding, trust and acceptance, which is an industry-wide challenge in particular.

71 percent of attitudes to autonomous vehicles are determined by concerns about reliability and possible failures. The danger of hacking and liability in a collision with a self-driving car is also of concern to the public.

On the other hand, the respondents are not negative about the phenomenon of autonomous driving. More than three quarters of the respondents think the self-driving car is a positive development.

Electric vehicles are embraced with a confidence score of 55 out of 100 more. Study participants indicate that they value better reliability and easy-to-manage costs of use.

Experts expect self-driving services such as public transport, delivery services and taxi rides to hit the market in 5 to 6 years, while consumer self-driving vehicles will be delayed for another 12 years. Most industry experts predict that self-driving vehicles will take 15 years or more to have a 10% retail market share.

The availability of charging stations is still seen as an obstacle. In addition, 74 percent of respondents are unwilling to charge for more than half an hour. Of the number of participants who already drive electrically, 75 percent indicate that the next car will also be an electric one.

JD Power is a world leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. Founded in 1968, the company has offices in North America, South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe.