One needs to distinguish between autonomous taxi robots driving around without a driver and the different levels of autonomous driving for passenger cars (see graphic info).

With an exponential growth in technology, especially over the past two or three decades and now more so with the arrival of Artificial Intelligence (AI) it seems that the road ahead could still be a long one.

Before today's billion of rands investments in autonomous driving technology, controlling a driverless automobile via radio transmissions was described as "extremely simple and effective" in a November 1925 magazine article.

Francis P Houdina, an American inventor, planned a transcontinental showcase for self-driving technology using a specially outfitted Chandler automobile in 1925. However, his vehicle, dubbed "American Wonder", careened through New York City's Fifth Avenue traffic, barely missing cars and fire trucks before crashing, Automotive News reports.

This early mishap marked the beginning of a recurring theme: autonomous vehicle overconfidence colliding with harsh reality.

As road fatalities reached new hights in the USA in 1937 – approximately 14 times higher per mile than today – industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes called American roads a "suicidal mess". His solution came through General Motors' Futurama exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair.

The exhibit presented ten-lane highways with embedded electric sensors guiding automated vehicles. Futurama helped create the Interstate Highway System through the 1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act, though the embedded sensors never materialised.

European researchers achieved remarkable success with the Prometheus project in 1995, when an autonomous Mercedes-Benz S-Class travelled 1 700 kilometres between Munich and Copenhagen, covering 160km without human intervention at speeds reaching 175km/h.

Recognising European leadership, American officials organised an ambitious Interstate 15 demonstration near San Diego in August 1997. Twenty-one vehicles covered 12 900km over four days, with some using 92 778 magnetic road nails for guidance.

Self-driving technology lay dormant until 2004, when Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency director, Tony Tether, offered a $1 million prize competition. Though none of 15 finalists completed the inaugural 229km Mojave Desert race, the challenge brought together academics and hobbyists who became today's industry leaders.

This year, the autonomous vehicle landscape shows progress alongside persistent challenges.

• Waymo leads commercial operations, providing over 250 000 weekly rides across five USA cities, with more planned.
• Tesla began a commercial robotaxi service in Austin in June 2024, operating roughly a dozen vehicles with expansion plans.
• General Motors continues to develop Super Cruise technology, while Mercedes-Benz offers similar features in premium models.

Most manufacturers currently focus on Level 2 autonomy, requiring constant driver attention despite handling steering, acceleration and braking.

Current priorities reflect market realities. Major manufacturers focus on electric vehicles amid insufficient demand, while developing autonomous technology, costly and complicated, takes secondary importance.

So who is the furthest ahead in AV technology?

• China: Leading in deployment and scale:

Over 50% of vehicles sold in China in 2024 came equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) (Level 2+), compared to just under 40% in the USA. (Business Insider.)

Chinese AV companies have deployed large robotaxi fleets: Baidu’s Apollo Go has over 400 fully driverless robotaxis, operating 24/7 in Wuhan and serving 9 million residents (Wikipedia, Reuters).

Apollo has accumulated over 100 million autonomous kilometres with no major accidents (Wikipedia).

As of July 2025, China leads in robotaxi coverage globally, with eight companies operating across 16 cities (Visual Capitalist).

Over 60% of new cars in China feature Level 2 systems; governmental support is pushing toward Level 3 validation where the car has environmental detection capabilities and can make informed decisions, such as passing a slow-moving vehicle.

• USA: Strong in innovation and testing:

Waymo has logged more than 14.9 million autonomous miles, including over 14 million driverless miles by mid-2024 (EE Times Europe).

Waymo remains the largest USA robotaxi service, operating across multiple cities and expanding internationally (Visual Capitalist, EE Times Europe).

In passenger vehicles, Mercedes-Benz (Level 3) is certified in Germany, California and Nevada; Honda has sold around 80 Level 3 capable vehicles in Japan (Wikipedia).

• Europe: Slow but Steady Progress:

Mercedes holds the first Level 3 certification for highways in Germany and the USA, with BMW close behind, under the banner of DRIVE PILOT (IDTechEx, Wikipedia).

(Photos: WAYMO and Baidu Apollo Go).