Move over Apple: The world’s newest most valuable company has its eyes set on the road. Google’s self-driving cars – the ones spoofed in “The Internship” – may be becoming a reality sooner than later.
According to Google itself, on its website: “We’re planning to build about a hundred prototype vehicles, and later this summer, our safety drivers will start testing early versions of these vehicles that have manual controls.”
The next step, should the testing go smoothly, is a “small pilot program” in California over the next couple of years. Excited yet?
As far as what Google self-driving cars’ specs are, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. What they won’t have, according to the Mountain View, California-based tech giant, is “a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal … because they don’t need them.”
The vehicles will be equipped with sensors and operate at the push of a button, travel at up to 25 mph and the interior – “designed for learning, not luxury,” – won’t be premium leather you’d find in a Maserati (At least not yet).
As customary, Google is welcoming feedback about its latest venture. To comment about the Self-Driving Car Project, go to its designate Google+ page.
Photo Credit: Official Google Blog
