7 Considerations for an Autonomous Vehicle Deployment

AvCo’s experience with automated mobility has given us a deep perspective on all aspects of the autonomous vehicle (AV) industry. Realizing everyone has the potential to take advantage of autonomous transportation benefits, we want to provide some insights into two key components - engaging stakeholders and planning - as you consider driverless transportation deployment. 

Engagement with Stakeholders 

Stakeholders can be public users as well as key decision makers and funders. Setting vision and objectives with stakeholders will provide a foundation of excitement and engagement, and it will help solidify the measures against which success can be determined after the project ends. Discussions with stakeholders are vital in charting a path toward autonomous transport system deployment. AvCo’s lessons learned offering, called CityForward Playbook, breaks down the different types of stakeholders and explains exactly when and how to involve each of them.

1 - Align the Funding / Business Model

While talking to potential stakeholders and exploring different use cases, it’s important to align the funding / business model. Driverless transportation projects include potential planning, infrastructure, operations, and capital costs, which can be distributed amongst more than one party. Determining how AV goals will not only enhance local, regional, and state plans but also solve community issues while demonstrating economic feasibility and sustainability proves the value of autonomous transport deployment. All of these discussions need to happen in tandem because they all influence the respective scope/opportunity of each. 

2 - Include a Multitude of Stakeholders

The planning stakeholder table should be large. Yes, inviting more stakeholders to the table can extend the process of gaining feedback in an organized fashion, and reaching consensus may be more difficult. However, the win is gaining scrutiny at all levels. Dissecting all challenges and presenting solutions is essential at this stage of the process, and you want that scrutiny up front to ensure all key stakeholders can answer the "why" questions together.

3 - Define and Determine Success

Try to begin discussing what success looks like among key stakeholders. Is ridership the primary goal, or are there other outcomes that you want to measure the project's success? Different stakeholders will have different opinions, and knowing what success looks like across the board will provide input to make key planning decisions. Clearly defining expectations early will also help sustain momentum across those stakeholders should barriers arise during the implementation phase. 

Planning 

Successful deployment is only possible when there is careful and comprehensive planning. Planning involves a multitude of steps including casting vision, strategic alignment, communication, technological and financial feasibility, safety and risk evaluation, and establishing or implementing policies. All of these phases can be complex and occur simultaneously, which is why we prepared these helpful tips:

1 - Planning Takes Longer Than You Think

Most AV deployment leaders will say that they didn’t not allocate enough time in the planning phase. Assume this will take longer than expected and make sure there’s a clear champion with enough time dedicated to embrace the planning process. Depending on the complexity of the project it would be good to estimate six months to two years for effective planning. 

2 - Identify Potential Project Barriers 

Simply stated, project blockers are issues, situations, people or events that prevent progress. It is vital to identify potential project hurdles early on and address them head-on. They likely will not go away and it’s important to have a thoughtful discussion with stakeholders as early as possible. List each project blocker and prioritize the time each will take, the cost associated, and who will be assigned to the mitigation solution. Stakeholders with prior driverless transportation deployment experience are likely to be able to contribute significantly to probable barriers (common examples include insurance, AV storage/charging, and funding)  

3 - Answer the "Where, How, and Why" Questions

Our AV experts faced a lot of scrutiny over where and why we were planning the autonomous transportation service. What need is it going to meet, for whom, and why are you choosing that need over others? Gathering stakeholder support for the desired use case, deployment area and need is essential to building buy-in during the initial planning phase. Once you decide where and can justify why, there is a lot of complexity in how the project is delivered (service hours, frequency, operating model, etc) that require thoughtful consideration.

4 - Verify Use Case

Ensuring initial vetting by Automated Driving Systems (ADS) companies to verify the use case at a high-level is important before entering the feasibility phase. They can pinpoint technical barriers or considerations that could swing the project one way or another. For example, the need for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication or signal infrastructure upgrades when the shuttles interact with traffic signals helped us prioritize one route over another that might be serving similar needs. ADS providers have different requirements and operating constraints that can dramatically impact the project timeline, budget and scope, and there’s no way to be aware of those issues without their involvement. 

AvCo’s CityForward has all the resources you need to plan, launch, operate and evaluate AV in your community or environment. There are many considerations before you deploy autonomous transport technology. We can answer all your questions and get you started on your AV journey today!