WHEN WILL I HAVE A SELF-DRIVING CAR?

LIKE THE JETPACKS sci- f i writers have promised us since the 1920s, the vision of a self-driving car that whisks us to work while we read the news has proved to be more problematic to implement in practice than in theory.

So-called advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) features are available in some cars, such as Tesla’s electric cars, but they’re not what would be considered self-driving. Tesla’s autopilot tool can help you stay in your lane while driving on the highway, but it’s graded only a Level 2 on the five-stage system of automation developed by SAE International, a driving standards organisation. Level 5 would be a full self-driving

experience with hands off the steering wheel. We aren’t there yet. But that’s not everywhere.

Look further afield and the future is closer. “If you look at China, the big cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen have self- driving cars doing passenger transportation,” says Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, director of the Centre for Automotive Research in Duisburg, Germany.

The self-driving taxis, which are run by Chinese auto and tech giants, are part of a countrywide plan to increase the sales of Level 4 vehicles – which allow drivers to switch off mentally while still requiring them to keep their hands on or near the wheel – to around 20 per cent of the total by 2030.

But what works in China might not work elsewhere, admits Dudenhöffer.

Chinese cit izens might accept having the journeys of their vehicles tracked and analysed to improve traffic f lows, but citizens of other countries may be reluctant to agree to that tracking.

Privacy concerns may stymie the promise of kicking back on your commute.

Self-driving cars must constantly generate data from their sensors and software to make driving decisions – otherwise they would crash.