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What Type of Self-Driving Vehicle Do Citizens Imagine? Results of a Co-Creation Dialogue Across Five European Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Jonatan Viejo

    (CARTIF Technology Centre, Parque Tecnológico Boecillo, 205, 47151 Boecillo, Spain)

  • Ana Quijano

    (CARTIF Technology Centre, Parque Tecnológico Boecillo, 205, 47151 Boecillo, Spain)

  • Lucy Farrow

    (Thinks Insight and Strategy, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA, UK)

  • Selini Papanelopoulou

    (Thinks Insight and Strategy, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA, UK)

Abstract

It is believed that the deployment of autonomous vehicles in Europe has the potential to achieve safer, more sustainable and more equitable mobility. This study provides new insight into the hopes and expectations of citizens across five European countries for autonomous transport systems via a qualitative co-creation activity. A diverse and inclusive sample of 147 citizens was invited to generate their own ideas about how self-driving transport could be usefully deployed. Participants were asked to describe, in detail, what the vehicle would be like, what kind of mobility service it would provide, and who the target users would be. Structured qualitative analysis of the answers identified 337 distinct scenarios for autonomous vehicles across seven archetypes. In this paper, we describe a number of features of autonomous services that citizens expect and analyze the differences between demographic groups. We found that citizens across all five countries share a vision of autonomous mobility as electric- or hydrogen-powered, with a much greater use of shared mobility than is currently the case. This understanding of the expectations of a diverse group of citizens offers valuable insights for industry and policymaker actors to implement regarding future technology and transport investment and policy and service development.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonatan Viejo & Ana Quijano & Lucy Farrow & Selini Papanelopoulou, 2025. "What Type of Self-Driving Vehicle Do Citizens Imagine? Results of a Co-Creation Dialogue Across Five European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-14, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:8:p:3561-:d:1635330
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Md. Mokhlesur Rahman & Jean-Claude Thill, 2023. "What Drives People’s Willingness to Adopt Autonomous Vehicles? A Review of Internal and External Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-29, July.
    2. Shaila Jamal & K. Bruce Newbold, 2020. "Factors Associated with Travel Behavior of Millennials and Older Adults: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-27, October.
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