Google self-driving cars to hit public roads in prototype testing
Google's self-driving cars have received the green light to begin testing on public roads in Mountain View, California, this summer.
Image Source: Google Blog
Self-driving cars from Google are taking another step closer to being a reality for the millions of drivers who brave urban gridlocks to work every day. Last September, Google was awarded multiple permits by the State of California to test its cards on public roads. But while the search giant already has a fleet of modified Lexus RX450h hybrids on the road, Google has now announced that a few of its own prototype vehicles are finally making their way to Mountain View’s roads for testing.
Google’s prototypes are slated to hit the roads this summer but the tests will take place on a rather cautious note – each prototype vehicle is capped at 25 mph (approximately 40km/h) and will have safety drivers on board at all times. The new prototypes will also use the same software used by the existing fleet of self-driving Lexus RX450h SUVs, which has logged almost a million autonomous miles so far.
This means that the new prototypes will have a huge well of testing experience to draw from, which according to Google, is roughly equivalent to about 75 years of typical American adult driving experience. In addition, the rotund vehicles will feature a removable steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedal to allow safety drivers to take control when needed.
Like all disruptive innovations, there’s no telling how it will be received by the community and society so Google will be focusing on how the community perceives and interacts with its prototypes.
There’s still some ways to go before self-driving cars chug along our roads in earnest, but the hope is that they will be able to mitigate the 94% of accidents that are caused by human error and thus make driving safer for all. Just last week, Google announced that its cars had been involved in just 11 accidents in 1.7 million miles, none of which were the car's fault. In addition to improving the safety record, the cars could also revolutionize transport for those who, for some reason or other, are unable to drive a car.
Source: Google Blog
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