21 million driverless cars could be on the road by 2035, report says

Driverless car technology could take hold faster than expected.

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Analyst organization IHS Automotive increased its estimate of the number driverless and self-driving cars it expects to see across the globe. In January 2014, IHS predicted self-driving car sales would reach 11.8 million by 2035.

Now, however, due to the increased research and development of autonomous technology by carmakers and tech firms, IHS anticipates nearly 21 million driverless cars to be sold worldwide by 2035 — nearly doubling its previous estimate in just a year and a half.

IHS forecasts the United States to lead the charge in driverless car deployment with several thousand autonomous cars on roadways by 2020. This number will grow to nearly 4.5 million self-driving vehicles in America by 2035.

Japan won't be far behind. IHS anticipates Japan will "ramp up industry coordination and investment ahead of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020."

Though America and Japan will pave the way for driverless cars, China is predicted to be the volume leader for the technology. IHS believes more than 5.7 million vehicles in China will have some sort of autonomous tech onboard by 2035. 

Eastern and Western Europe will have an aggregate 4.5 million driverless cars by that date, according to the report. The Middle East and Africa will see a million automated vehicle sold over the same period.

Unsurprisingly, IHS points out autonomous vehicles will face challenges in cyber security and software reliability. However, it points out that these will decrease over time as the industry recognizes and addresses the threats.