China is poised to lead in self-driving cars—and it’s not because of technology

China may adopt self-driving cars faster than the US, but not because of any technological advantage.

A survey released Tuesday (Feb. 20) by TÜV Rheinland, a Germany-based technical services company, shows that the Chinese public is better poised to accept autonomous vehicles, mainly because they trust the technology and feel more secure about passing on their data than Americans. The company surveyed 1,000 people from both China and the US, aged 18 years and over and in possession of a driver’s license.

The results match another survey released by Ford in December 2017, which found that Chinese adults had a more positive outlook on autonomous vehicles. Out of 10,000 respondents, 83% of Chinese adults agreed with the statement “I am hopeful about the future of autonomous vehicles,” whereas only 50% of US adults agreed.
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