The terminological landscape is rather cluttered when referring to autonomous driving or vehicles. A plethora of terms are used interchangeably, leading to misuse and confusion. With its technological, social and legal progress, it is increasingly imperative to establish a clear terminology that allows each concept to be placed in its corresponding place.

Autonomous cars have been recently hitting the headlines and dominating tech-talks. They are seen as a post-Uber disruption to public commute and transportation of goods. Surely they are no figment of imagination in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), which is being used to complement driverless cars. Companies such as Waymo and Tesla are heavily invested in driverless cars. Currently, Waymo has begun testing of driverless cars again after stopping in 2017.

SELF-DRIVING cars are in a constant state of development, with numerous companies including Tesla, Audi and Volvo (as well as technology giants such as Apple and Google) pouring millions of pounds into making the autonomous car technology roadworthy. Will it see a major shift in employment and work culture? Is the driver or the manufacturer liable in the event of an accident? How will legislation and layouts be changed to make self-driving cars compatible with UK roads? Auto Express has investigated the world of driverless car technology, to bring you the answers about the cutting edge of mobility.

With full autonomy, operating costs would decline by about 45 percent, saving the US for-hire trucking industry between $85 billion and $125 billion. Just recently, it was reported that a driverless truck made a cross-country trip, running 40,000 pounds of butter from Tulare, California to Quakertown, Pennsylvania. The 2,800-mile-trip took three days. Of course, the truck did not travel entirely on its own -- a technician rode on board to keep an eye on things. But are we ready to have huge, autonomous tractor-trailers thundering down the interstates?

We have all seen the rapid rise of new technologies that are disrupting the way we live our everyday lives. From our mobile devices, e-commerce retailing, sharing economy companies and a plethora of automated functionalities – innovation has changed our lives beyond recognition. It is through this relentless drive of technological innovation that has revolutionised the automotive sector. Despite the ongoing controversies around diesel and petrol cars, and the gradual implementation of electric vehicles, one of the more sci-fi adaptations that will be arriving on our roads in the near future is autonomous vehicles. But when will this happen?