Google unveils driverless car

Google has unveiled its first fully designed self-driving prototype, a two-seater vehicle that eliminates the steering wheel, accelerator, brake pedal, mirrors and glove compartment. The car is unable to travel faster than 25 mph, while software and sensors are designed to help the vehicle steer clear of accidents. Passengers simply input their destination and push a single button. "The project is about changing the world for people who are not well-served by transportation today," said Google co-founder
May 29, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
1691 Google has unveiled its first fully designed self-driving prototype, a two-seater vehicle that eliminates the steering wheel, accelerator, brake pedal, mirrors and glove compartment. The car is unable to travel faster than 25 mph, while software and sensors are designed to help the vehicle steer clear of accidents. Passengers simply input their destination and push a single button.

"The project is about changing the world for people who are not well-served by transportation today," said Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

If the car should malfunction, the car has two sets of steering and braking systems, so if one fails the other can take over.

The company plans to build about a hundred prototypes and Google’s safety drivers will start testing early versions with manual controls. If all goes well, Google plans to run a small pilot program in California in the next couple of years and if the technology develops, it will work with partners to bring the technology into the world.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Emissions reductions targets to have major impact on transport
    October 28, 2015
    As bold moves aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been introduced in California, David Crawford looks at the ramifications for transportation. California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent dramatic raising of the bar on emissions reduction policy for the state has won him praise from Japan, Australia, Europe and the secretariat of the critical UN conference on climate change being held in Paris in November/December 2015. His April 2015 executive order aimed at bringing emissions to 40% below 1990 lev
    Read More
  • Nissan Unveils advances in connected car technology
    April 10, 2012
    Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Motor Company's chief executive officer, has unveiled initiatives in automotive communications technology intended to move Nissan and Infiniti into a leadership position in the connected car content and services market. In announcing the collaboration with companies such as Google, Pandora Radio and Intel at the New York International Auto Show, Ghosn said, "It's clear that consumers expect to be connected wherever they are, and that includes the time spent in their automobiles. To mee
    Read More
  • Debating the future of in-vehicle systems
    December 6, 2012
    Industry experts talk to Jason Barnes about the legislative situation of current and future in-vehicle systems. Articles about technology development can have a tendency to reference Moore’s Law with almost indecent regularity and haste but the fact remains that despite predictions of slow-down or plateauing, the pace remains unrelenting. That juxtaposes with a common tendency within the ITS industry: to concentrate on the technology and assume that much else – legislation, business cases and so on – will m
    Read More
  • Cooperative infrastructure an aid to environmental aims
    February 3, 2012
    Speculate to accumulate Andras Kovacs looks at how the historical focus of cooperative infrastructure on safety can be oriented to aid emerging environmental aims
    Read More

Highlighted Content