Dutch authorities are currently preparing the legal framework to allow large-scale tests of self-driving cars and trucks on public roads in the country, with the goal of making self-driving vehicles commercially available with a period of five years.
It was also reported that a plan by a team of companies is aiming to begin using self-driving trucks to transport goods from Rotterdam, which is the largest port in Europe, to other cities in the Netherlands within the five-year period.
Melanie Schultz van Heagen, the Infrastructure and Environment Minister for the Netherlands, sent a letter to the Dutch parliament detailing the proposal.
The letter also said that before the self-driving trucks are deployed to public roads for testing, they will be first tested on a closed road using computer simulations to ensure the safety of the public.
"There are countless benefits. Self-driving cars need less space and therefore use asphalt more efficiently, they avert traffic jams and reduce accidents. They are also more environmentally friendly," said spokeswoman for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment Marianne Wuite.
These benefits will surely be welcomed by the Netherlands, which is a densely populated nation with highly advanced infrastructure. The country hosts the fourth largest airport in all of Europe, while the aforementioned Rotterdam port is a major logistics center in the continent.
Wuite also said that they are looking for international partners for the project.
Once the application clears all legalities, testing for the self-driving vehicles will commence.
"We want to do the first demonstrations in the beginning of next year and roll out the trial in a controlled environment as soon as possible," said Bastiaan Krosse, a spokesman for the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, or TNO.
Krosse added that the road tests, which will involve a pair of full-sized trucks, will be carried out either in Rotterdam Port or in the motorway A270, which is in the southern Netherlands and has advanced infrastructure.
Krosse also said that while there are other countries in Europe that are doing similar tests, the project in the Netherlands is set apart because of its five-year target, coupled with support from the government.
The proposal for self-driving vehicles was submitted one month after Google revealed its prototype of its own self-driving car, which has no steering wheel and pedals. The tech company revealed that it is planning to create 100 units of their prototype and aiming to begin testing the vehicle in California within the next couple of years.
