Self-Driving Cars: Will Europe Miss Another Disruption?
Christoph Meyer
Christoph Meyer
Contributor
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I cover trends in transportation and envision the future of mobility
Widely regarded as the world's first car: 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car (Photo: Getty Images)
The last time a major technological disruption took place, Europe was caught snoozing. In the early 2000’s, European companies were the belles of the cellular ball. Siemens, Ericsson, and Nokia were the envy of the world, leading the market before a rude awakening. Overnight, the iPhone rendered the Europeans’ mobile phones “dumb” as a new era of connectivity dawned.
We now stand on the verge of another revolution, this time in the world of automotive and transportation: self-driving cars. With ubiquitous and incessant news stories, this turn of the tide has been much less silent and far more anticipated. And yet, one might conclude Europe is on course to lose this time as it did before: the continuous buzz around autonomous vehicles never seems to stem from the Old Continent, but rather from the U.S. or Asia. Are Europe and its automotive giants BMW, Daimler, VW, Renault, Peugeot, etc (once again) missing the boat?
Will Mercedes (Daimler) miss the boat on autonomous? (Photo: Getty Images)
The Big (Tech) Players
At first glance, it appears so. Europe lacks the tech titans that made autonomous vehicles a realistic pursuit in the first place. Google is coming up on a decade of work on its self-driving car project, with Waymo becoming the official spin-off in late 2016. Uber followed suit - perhaps too closely as the lawsuit suggested - while Tesla sought to build its platform from the ground up. In China, the situation is similar. Baidu, “the Google of China”, blazed the trail in the Middle Kingdom, starting its efforts in 2013. The two other tech titans, Alibaba and Tencent, have launched their own self-driving efforts in 2016 while Didi, the “Uber-killer”, is investing heavily as well. The sheer complexity of full autonomy requires deep pockets and coding prowess - two things the digital natives of China and the U.S. have in abundance. The dearth of tech titans in Europe is obvious when it comes to the race for self-driving cars.
Startup Scene
In addition to the absence of big tech, Europe also boasts a more modest entrepreneurial scene. Fewer AV-focused startups have emerged than in the U.S. or China. Certainly, AIMotive, FiveAI, Navya, and Amber, to name a few, have raised considerable funds and partnered with big-time automotive players. Still, the developments in the United States and China are on a whole other level. The U.S., in particular, has emerged as the most vibrant ecosystem.