PAVE Europe took part in AutoSens Europe 2025, the leading global conference on ADAS and autonomous vehicle perception, hosted at the Palau de Congressos in Barcelona.
The event gathered engineers, researchers, and mobility experts to explore the future of automotive sensing, simulation, and in-cabin safety.
PAVE Europe participated in the Closing Panel: “User Acceptance – the Make-or-Break Factor for ADAS/AD” alongside experts from JOYNEXT, Tobii, and SEAT, moderated by Future Transport News.
The discussion focused on how public perception, education, and direct experience can accelerate trust in automation.
Our representative, Carmen Frigerio, emphasized that “Building acceptance is a collective effort — it happens when industry, policymakers, and citizens work together to make technology understandable and human“.
The panel echoed PAVE Europe’s mission to promote informed understanding and foster public confidence in connected and automated mobility.
Level 4: Acceptance for All Road Users
The panel concluded with an important questions which looked beyond the vehicle itself: how will user acceptance evolve at Level 4, when vehicles drive entirely on their own?
As Carmen Frigeio noted, the impact of automation extends far beyond passengers, it touches everyone on the road, from pedestrians to cyclists. Projects such as the EU-funded Aware4All are already studying how external communication from autonomous vehicles can shape people’s reactions and trust. Do road users behave differently when they know a vehicle has no driver?
This broader perspective reflects PAVE Europe’s mission to build societal trust in automation — not just for those inside the vehicle, but for the entire ecosystem around it. Acceptance of autonomous mobility will depend on how confidently and safely all people, not just passengers, coexist with this technology in everyday life.
Designing for Diversity: Human Factors at the Core of CCAM
The discussion also highlighted how diversity and inclusion play a central role in building user trust and acceptance in connected and automated mobility (CCAM). Carmen Frigerio pointed to the EU-funded Diversify CCAM project as a leading example of how technology should be shaped by people, not the other way around. The project begins by listening to the needs and expectations of different user groups, from rural communities on Greek islands to city dwellers in places like Barcelona or Monheim, and translates these insights into design guidelines for developers.
This approach mirrors PAVE Europe’s mission to ensure that future mobility systems reflect Europe’s cultural and social diversity. True acceptance will come when autonomous mobility is inclusive, adaptable, and designed to serve everyone, wherever they live.
Key highlights from AutoSens 2025
Over three days, AutoSens featured presentations and demonstrations from leading industry innovators including Bosch, Magna, OMNIVISION, Renault, BMW, and Tobii, showcasing the latest advances in multi-sensor fusion, AI-assisted perception, and in-cabin monitoring.
A major theme across sessions was user-centric design, from driver-centric ADAS presented by Euro NCAP, to holistic cabin sensing and privacy-aware data management.
Across the exhibition floor, companies like Vector, Smart Eye, and Rheinmetall Dermalog Sensortec presented solutions that balance innovation with transparency, supporting a future where technology inspires confidence rather than hesitation.
PAVE Europe’s participation reinforced the importance of placing trust, safety, and usability at the heart of automotive innovation, ensuring that as vehicles become more automated, they also become more human-centered.
About PAVE Europe
Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) Europe is a non-profit coalition that seeks to raise the level of public knowledge of automated vehicle technology and the potential benefits for safety, mobility, equity, and congestion. PAVE Europe’s diverse membership includes international corporations, start-ups, consumer advocates, nonprofit groups, and other stakeholders. PAVE Europe seeks to educate and facilitate dialogue among industry, policymakers, and the public to advance the development and deployment of AV technology.
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