Societal Readiness Levels for Autonomous Vehicles

Purpose and goal

Much of the world’s attention has been captured by autonomous vehicles (AVs), but the industry has lost sight of how certain behaviors and services are prerequisites for society using AVs well. Communities and transit operators need to understand why ridesharing works in some regions but not others, and how to replicate success. This industrial PhD aims to build on Technological Readiness Level methodology to create a framework for evaluation and recommendations for increasing ridesharing and AV acceptance, known as Societal Readiness Levels for Autonomous Vehicles.

Expected results and effects

1: define the framework itself in order to gauge what services, policies, or technologies they need to develop in order to prepare for new mobility options; criteria for evaluation and recommended strategies for supporting change. 2: create a digital site where users can access the SRL Framework to evaluate their city / organization / region and receive a customized list of strategies and next steps. 3: the primary investigator should fulfill requirements for an industrial PhD. 4: Produce a business model for an operator to incorporate autonomous vehicles into public transit.

Planned approach and implementation

WP 1: Project Management + Coursework Jan 1 2019 - Dec 15 2022 WP 2: Background + Analysis Feb 1 2019 - Nov 15 2021 WP 3: Societal Readiness Level Framework Nov 1 2019 - Nov 15 2022 WP 4: Evolving Operator Business Model Development Feb 1 2021 - Feb 15 2022