Photo: automotiveit.com
Prepare yourselves: autonomous cars are getting closer and the German government is acknowledging them. In a daring statement for reporters made on January 26, Germany’s Transportation Minister, Ingo Strater, said that the country is planning to upgrade a portion of the A9 highway, to help car makers develop self-driving cars.
Better known as an autobahn, the A9 connects the country’s capital city with Munich, the capital of Bavarian and home town of BMW that has been testing autonomous cars for quite some time now.
“The German auto industry has recognized that this field is developing,” Strater said. “We want to support that.”
According to the official, the Minister he’s running plans to fit a portion of the autobahn with the proper infrastructure that would allow cars to communicate with each other and the infrastructure itself. This could include various testing sensors, measuring systems and all kinds of other new technologies, the final goal being to reduce traffic jams and improve road safety.
Going with self-driving cars removes the human factor from the equation and could, in turn, lead to a drop in casualties, injuries and other sorts of mishaps on Germany’s roads.
And the Germans are amongst the forerunners in the field. Mercedes-Benz just unveiled the F 015 concept, a car that drives itself and allows you to enjoy the trip with your travel mates while Audi has a racing RS7 that doesn’t require a driver. BMW is also investing in this tech with a self-parking i3 already showcased at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show and another 5 Series that drove itself around Germany a couple of years ago.
Google is also working on a touted autonomous car that should be unveiled and sold to the public in the next 5 years or so if the controversy surrounding it stops all of the sudden.
“The German auto industry has recognized that this field is developing,” Strater said. “We want to support that.”
According to the official, the Minister he’s running plans to fit a portion of the autobahn with the proper infrastructure that would allow cars to communicate with each other and the infrastructure itself. This could include various testing sensors, measuring systems and all kinds of other new technologies, the final goal being to reduce traffic jams and improve road safety.
Going with self-driving cars removes the human factor from the equation and could, in turn, lead to a drop in casualties, injuries and other sorts of mishaps on Germany’s roads.
And the Germans are amongst the forerunners in the field. Mercedes-Benz just unveiled the F 015 concept, a car that drives itself and allows you to enjoy the trip with your travel mates while Audi has a racing RS7 that doesn’t require a driver. BMW is also investing in this tech with a self-parking i3 already showcased at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show and another 5 Series that drove itself around Germany a couple of years ago.
Google is also working on a touted autonomous car that should be unveiled and sold to the public in the next 5 years or so if the controversy surrounding it stops all of the sudden.
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