Self-driving car wish list: Safety but no coffee

Marco della Cava | USA TODAY

Corrections & Clarifications: An early version of this story misidentified the Audi model that drove itself to CES.

SAN FRANCISCO — What do consumers want in a self-driving car?

Try hands-free navigation through darkness and inclement weather, in-car tech that seamlessly integrates with at-home devices and the ability to seek out parking spaces, all preferably with no increase in price.

The findings, out Friday, are part of an extensive survey on attitudes toward autonomous vehicles conducted by Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University, which for decades has had faculty and students researching futuristic modes of transport.

The CMU poll revealed that once self-driving cars do become a reality, only a third plan to use them as a mobile office, and fewer than 10% said they had interest in having coffee freshly made by an in-car machine. Entertainment seems to be the name of the commuting game, with video games and movies the prime distraction.

"These cars are coming, and consumers know it," says Donna Sturgess, chief marketing officer at CMU's college of engineering. "We've always been focused on the safety these vehicles can provide, and it's nice to see that consumers are interested in the very same thing."

Respondents to the CMU survey, which polled 1,000 adults ages 18-70 evenly split between men and women, overwhelmingly rejected (95%) the notion that self-driving cars should be to "throw a car party on the move." But 52% envisioned spending their new free time eating lunch and using mobile devices.

When it comes to working in a car that's driving itself, more men than women said they would be trading stocks or engaging with the entertainment system through a dash-mounted TV or Wi-Fi-connected computer. More women than men said they would spend time reading a book or planning a trip.

The sexes were in sync on the topic of parental controls in autonomous vehicles; 80% say they want remote oversight of the vehicle's speed limit, number of passengers and curfew time.

Autonomous vehicles are moving fast from the realm of science fiction to a reality that awaits social and regulatory acceptance. Cars already are starting to get connected to the Web via mobile 4G LTE hotspots. By 2020, about 250 million connected cars will be on the road, according to a Gartner study.

A growing number of automakers are beefing up their tech-focused engineering divisions, typified by Ford's recent plans to grow its Silicon Valley-based operations tenfold to 125 employees by the end of the year.

Beyond Google's secretive moves to develop a Silicon Valley-area fleet of driverless cars, many automakers have showcased sensor-laden vehicles that take full control of vehicles. Last month, Audi loaded a self-driving A7 prototype with journalists, who made the 500-mile drive to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with minimal human interventions.

Once such technology makes its way into a broad range of models at reasonable prices, what remains to be seen is whether public reaction to the novelties will be positive, and if all states agree to pave the way for such transportation.

Millennials stood out in a portion of the CMU survey that asked a range of ages about their ideal features for a self-driving car. While Boomers were big on driver-fatigue warnings — presumably even if the driver wasn't at the controls — and self-parking capabilities, a majority of those 18 to 24 felt having "voice command for the visually impaired" was critical.

All age groups agreed that self-driving cars would be a huge help when it comes to driving at night, in unfamiliar areas or on congested roads. Most respondents felt that Toyota and Google would be first out of the gate with such consumer tech, with Mercedes-Benz coming in third.

When it comes to paying for all this future tech, those polled were blunt: 70% said if autonomous cars cost 30% more than their human-guided counterparts, they would not buy them.

"Most people in polls always say no to paying more," Sturgess says with a laugh. "But as with smartphones, there will be a lot of competition between automakers to bring great new features to market, which will drive down prices. On the flip side, 30% did say they would be willing to spend a lot more on a car that makes them safer. And that's saying something."