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Connected cars are causing something of a stir in various countries around the world. It's becoming clear that eventually, completely autonomous may be the route we go down - but how, what it will look like and whether it will be 'accepted' is something that researchers are currently delving into.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has just produced a report that examines the ongoing development of connected cars and how research is going down so far. 

While it's going well, according to the research, there are a few barriers in the way of the public fully accepting connected cars; security, privacy, lack of infastructure, need for a legislative framework and pollution are but a few. 

Technological infrastructure is a straightforward challenge, the report said, and telecoms companies and governments will have to work to develop a greater network capacity. 

The end game for the use of connectedness is the self-driving car

Market disruptors such as Lyft and Uber are working to eliminate the need for car ownership, the report added, so the there's also a threat to carmakers which is becoming more apparent.

Gains enormous, collab needed

But aside from this, basic barriers such as how completely driverless cars will co-exist with driver-powered vehicles during a transition phase, and need to be sophisticated enough to deal with pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers. 

There are ethical implications too; it is inevitable that autonomous vehicles will be involved in accidents in the future - as driver-run casr are - and the decision-making patterns that a self-driving car may use to avoid them are complex. Governments will have to take a lead on developing a legislative framework within which autonomous cars can co-exist with both people and people-powered vehicles, the EIU said.

The report added that the gains from having connected cars on the road  are "potentially enormous" and hint at the role autonomy could play in shaping travel and the fabric of urban environments in a radically different way.

Matt Kendall, telecoms analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit said:"In many respects, connected cars are already an embedded part of the current motoring environment, with many vehicles on our roads utilising connectedness in the form of GPS, infotainment and on-board vehicle diagnostics.

"However, the end game for the use of connectedness is the self-driving car, which is able to use connectivity to manoeuver around, and interact with, its environment. But many obstacles to a fully autonomous future remain, and both the tech and auto industries are going to have to work hard, in a spirit of collaboration, to overcome them."