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In another three years, thus, the European legal highway should be a reality. At least this is the ambition set out by the ‘Declaration’. “The year 2019 isn’t so far off anymore”, said Schultz. “Look, for example, at the test conducted in Wageningen with the We-Pod [an unmanned, self-driving vehicle that travels on public roads along with other traffic, ed.] and tests in the US with the next generation of self-driving functions.” The car industry is now introducing the first partially self-driving cars onto the market. Field testing has also demonstrated that passenger cars and lorries can communicate with each other. Car manufacturers also appear ready to move on to automated driving But will political authorities really be allowing cars to communicate with roads and their traffic control systems throughout Europe in another three years? “We - the government - don’t make smart cars ourselves”, riposted Schultz. “But what we are doing is facilitating this development. We’ve adapted legislation, and tests with self-driving vehicles, including platooning trucks, have already been made possible throughout the Netherlands. Manufacturers also have to invest in continued development, including the field of intercommunicating vehicles. This is an area in which we can support each other In the coming year, for example, traffic lights from various suppliers will start communicating with a range of vehicles as part of the ‘Optimising Use’ programme that we’re conducting in twelve regions in our country. These kinds of tests have already proven successful in Berlin. So the future isn’t far off anymore.”
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