J.D. Power’s 2019 Mobility Confidence Index Study, released in July, exposes adverse feelings towards self-driving and battery-electric vehicles amongst consumers. The Mobility Confidence Index is 36 (on a 100-point scale) for self-driving vehicles and 55 for battery-electric vehicles.

Kristin Kolodge, Executive Director, Driver Interaction & Human Machine Interface Researcher at J.D. Power said that these results are not encouraging, especially as automakers continue to invest billions of dollars into self-driving and electrification technologies in vehicles.

The consumer survey is done in order to determine if automakers and consumers are on the same page when it comes mobility and vehicles trends.

The study is carried out quarterly and helps measure whether the market is ready for new mobility technologies such as self-driving and electric options.

The survey is segmented into three categories: low (0-40), neutral (41-60), and positive (61-100). J.D. Power utilized survey software company SurveyMonkey to conduct the study in which 5,749 consumers were polled about self-driving vehicles and 5,270 about battery-electric vehicles.

Following are key findings about self-driving vehicles:

• Consumers have low confidence about the future of self-driving vehicles. This ultimately attributed to consumer comfort about riding in and being on the road with others in a self-driving vehicle.

• Challenges with understanding and trusting the technology.

• Disparate visions for availability.

• Tech failures, hacking, and liability concerns.

• Lack of education and knowledge about self-driving vehicles.

• Safety

Following are key finding about battery-electric vehicles:

• Consumers have neutral confidence about battery-electric vehicles, attributed to reliability and affordability. There is agreement that there are positive environmental effects of electric vehicles.

• Small market

• Challenges to increase vehicle acceptance.

• Concern about ease of charging and efficiency of vehicle operation.

• Lack of experience using electric vehicles.