LONDON: Tekcapital Plc, the UK intellectual property (IP) investment group focused on creating marketplace value from investing in university technology, has announce an update from its portfolio company Guident, Ltd.[the_ad id=”31605″]On May 1st, 2019 the Florida Legislature unanimously passed a bill legalizing the use of self-driving cars statewide. The bill also stipulates that Florida residents will be allowed to interact with self-driving cars through digital smartphone apps.

The bill legalizes autonomous vehicles as well as on-demand autonomous vehicle (AV) networks, which are services that use a software application or other digital means to connect passengers to fully autonomous vehicles.

Harald Braun, Guident’s Chairman said, “Guident Ltd. welcomes this visionary decision. With this bill, Florida has made a tremendous step forward in enabling the market for Autonomous Vehicles and their control using mobile devices. This is consistent with the mission of Guident and its intellectual property.”

He detailed further: “One of the main criteria for market success of AV’s as defined by the “Autonomous Vehicle Readiness Index,”2 is governments’ willingness to regulate and support AV development. Today’s bill clearly shows a commitment by the state of Florida to the AV vehicle and mobility market, and the opportunities it provides for on-demand services.”

The autonomous vehicle market is expected to reach US $65.3 billion by 2027.