“无人驾驶汽车”常见的英文表达是 self-driving car 或 autonomous car。
self-driving car:侧重于描述汽车能够自动行驶这一特性,强调车辆无需人工直接操控方向盘即可行驶。例如:Self-driving cars are expected to revolutionize the transportation industry.(无人驾驶汽车有望给交通运输业带来革命性变化。)
autonomous car: “autonomous” 意思是“自主的;自治的”, “autonomous car” 更强调汽车具备自主决策、自主运行的能力,在专业领域和学术讨论中较为常用。例如:Researchers are working hard to improve the safety of autonomous cars.(研究人员正努力提高无人驾驶汽车的安全性。)