Kang Inje, Yang Jiseong, Kim Zhunwoo
Korea Institute of Energy Research, 152 Gajeong-ro Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea.
Department of Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):21884. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-05318-0.
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have gained a substantial attention for their transformative potential, with prior research predominantly focusing on end-user perceptions and autonomous functions. In contrast, other critical factors-such as component technologies and sociotechnical concerns-have received relatively limited attention. To address this gap, we employ a state-of-the-art topic modeling approach to empirically investigate the multifaceted public perceptions of AVs, with particular emphasis on battery technologies as an enabling component. Using BERTopic, we analyze 11,708 news articles on AVs published between 2002 and 2021, retrieved from the ProQuest ABI/INFORM database. Among the 45 publicly discussed issues identified, we categorize them into six dimensions based on the sociotechnical regime framework. A focused analysis of battery-related content reveals 15 recurrent themes, which are further classified into three dimensions. As discussed in prior research, issues such as safety and technical performance remain central in public perceptions. We further revealed the infrastructural and institutional concerns being publicly discussed. These results, recognizing the publicly perceived sociotechnical factors, underscore the importance of considering both technological and non-technological factors in the public perception of AVs and suggest new directions for future research and policymaking.
自动驾驶汽车（AVs）因其变革潜力而备受关注，先前的研究主要集中在终端用户的认知和自动驾驶功能上。相比之下，其他关键因素，如组件技术和社会技术问题，受到的关注相对有限。为了弥补这一差距，我们采用一种先进的主题建模方法，以实证研究公众对自动驾驶汽车的多方面认知，特别强调电池技术作为一种支撑组件。使用BERTopic，我们分析了从ProQuest ABI/INFORM数据库中检索到的2002年至2021年间发表的11708篇关于自动驾驶汽车的新闻文章。在确定的45个公开讨论的问题中，我们根据社会技术制度框架将它们分为六个维度。对与电池相关内容的重点分析揭示了15个反复出现的主题，这些主题进一步分为三个维度。正如先前研究中所讨论的，安全和技术性能等问题在公众认知中仍然至关重要。我们进一步揭示了正在公开讨论的基础设施和制度问题。这些结果认识到了公众所感知的社会技术因素，强调了在公众对自动驾驶汽车的认知中考虑技术和非技术因素的重要性，并为未来的研究和政策制定提出了新的方向。
