Saudi Arabia is striving to become a leading nation in the future of transportation, with plans to make 15% of its public transport vehicles autonomous by 2030. In addition, the country aims to convert 25% of its goods transport vehicles to autonomous vehicles by the beginning of the next decade. These goals were shared by Omaimah Bamasag, the deputy of transport enablement at the Transport General Authority, in the latest issue of Arthur D Little’s Autonomous Mobility Journal.
Bamasag highlighted that the kingdom’s ambitious plans for autonomous vehicle (AV) transport can be seen through the large-scale projects centered around autonomy. These smart cities are designed to be sustainable, with new transport systems for passengers and goods based entirely on autonomous mobility.
“The kingdom’s desire to build one of the largest sandboxes for new mobility may be strong support for advancing the growth of AVs in the kingdom and is a great accelerator for the development of its regulations and legislation,” Bamasag added.
Saudi Arabia is currently implementing Vision 2030 Strategy
Saudi Arabia is currently implementing its Vision 2030 strategy, which is the country’s major economic diversification program. The country’s mega-projects, including Neom, the $500 billion futuristic mega-city, and the Red Sea Project, are leading the way in implementing autonomous mobility in their respective locations. Neom and Germany’s Volocopter, for instance, have launched a joint venture to operate electric air taxi services in the city, including The Line, Oxagon, and Trojena.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s early stages in regulating AVs, authorities at all levels are working hard to pilot different technologies, conduct studies, and meet with local and global authorities in the field. Bamasag acknowledged that infrastructure readiness and regulation play a significant role in achieving the commercialization of AVs, especially if the goal is to reach levels 4 and 5 of vehicle autonomy, which do not require steering wheels or pedals.
The growth of other mobility-related technologies is expected to pave the way and facilitate the uptake of autonomous mobility. According to Antonio Semeraro, a senior principal at Arthur D Little Middle East, “While autonomous mobility is still not accessible or even available to most users on the roads globally, companies operating in this space have continued their work in the background to advance the technology.”
The growth of other mobility-related technologies … are expected to pave the way and facilitate the uptake of autonomous mobility, said Antonio Semeraro, senior principal at Arthur D Little Middle East.
“Following a lot of anticipation over the potential of autonomous vehicles over the last decade, promising silver linings are starting to appear”, he said.
“While autonomous mobility is still not accessible or even available to most users on the roads globally, companies operating in this space have continued their work in the background to advance the technology.”
Saudi Arabia’s desires to build one of the largest sandboxes for new mobility may be strong support for advancing the growth of AVs in the kingdom and is a great accelerator for the development of its regulations and legislation.
However, the most significant obstacle is the preparedness of infrastructure, particularly if the objective is to attain the commercial deployment of level 4 and 5 AVs. The levels of vehicle autonomy range from 0 to 5, with level 5 not necessitating pedals or steering wheels.
