Cars come in a variety of colors from bright reds, to mild blues, to simple black and white.  It has been reported that many autonomous vehicles experience trouble picking up certain colored cars.  The best color choice is white.  The challenge comes from the lidar systems, which see highly-reflective colors like white better than other colors.  How many users would forgo a bright colored car if it meant a safer driving option on the road?

According to the Detroit Free Press, the lidar system has a hard time seeing dark colors and paints that are less reflective.  The issue isn’t as large as it seems, as we still have human drivers behind the wheel. However, as the technology progresses, it could pose an issue.

It has been reported that even road signs can be of trouble to autonomous vehicles because they are meant for the human eye. While human eyes adjust, the lidar system has a tough time seeing dark colors that absorb light.  As autonomous technology replaces humans, colors for vehicles will need to be bright enough for sensors to see, but not too dark where sensors will not see anything at all. Several studies are underway to solve the issue, but they require resting various paints and conditions in which we drive our cars.

The industry is specifically working to correct any issues related to autonomous cars.