Google has just announced that its own design for self-driving cars prototype is ready and will soon hit the road. It is a vehicle that will drive people around without any steering wheel or pedals and was made public by Google’s co-funder Sergey Brin, yesterday.
Yes, it is a self-driving car that will change the world of auto. Although not too many details were released by Brin while talking at the Code Conference, yesterday, at Rancho Palas Verdes, in California, they did make a teaser of the vehicle.
Hard to tell what to make of it. It's some sort of combination between fantasy and Fiat 500, an electric one that is. According to theverge.com, we’re looking at a new design that fits two people and is driven entirely by a computer using a variety of sensors.
What we can tell you for sure is that it's not the modified $150,000 Toyota nor the Lexus they were using last year to allegedly build up a no-driver taxi fleet. Google’s car will initially include manual controls for safety, just like the company’s current self-driving car program does. After a pilot program in California, they will develop a broader program with the help of partners, presumably for commercial use.
The prototype presented is made from off shelf car parts, including the use of foam, and it runs with an electric engine. 100 early versions of the vehicles will be used for testing, this summer.
But at the end of the day, its creators just want the self-driving cars to change to world for the better. "The reason I'm super excited about these prototypes is the ability to change the world and the community around you," Brin said at the conference.
Well, that might actually be possible, considering that Google’s overreaching goal with this cars has been to develop vehicles that are safer than the ones driven by humans. In case you didn’t know, we’ll remind you that 33,000 Americans die every year from auto accidents, with that number reaching 1,2 million worldwide.
And their ambition is strong indeed, taking into account that even the legislation has been changing in order for the cars to legally drive on American soil. Nevada was the first state to pass a law on June 29, 2011 issuing the first license for an autonomous car in May 2012, for an modified Toyota Prius. In April same year, Florida was the second state to make it legal. California and Michigan were to follow, a couple a months latter.
Google News