Google Can Now Test Its Self-Driven Cars On California's Public Roads | TechTree.com

Google Can Now Test Its Self-Driven Cars On California's Public Roads

The company however will not use its very own self-driven car for carrying out the testing just yet

 

Self-driving vehicles are the future of transportation, and the US state of California realizes this all too well. The state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) last week handed out 29 permits to manufacturers of autonomous vehicles in order to carry out testing on public roads, 25 of which were bagged by tech giant Google.

Audi and Daimler AG-Mercedes Benz bagged the remainder of the permits, allowing them to test modified versions of their cars on California's public roads. Google however will no be using the car it developed in-house to carry out the tests, but will instead use 25 modified, self-driving Lexus SUVs.

An earlier report suggested that Google's car was prohibited to ply on public roads given its lack of a steering wheel and pedal controls. The company said it would modify its car to include the basic gear in order to run tests, but that doesn't seem to have happened so far.

Any qualified organisation can apply for self-driving car permits for a fee of just $150 for the first vehicle, and $50 for every additional vehicle. However, the company testing self-driving cars on roads are mandated to cover insurance costs of up to $5 million in case of any accidents.

That said, self-driving car accidents have been few and far apart, with Google claiming their cars have logged over 700,000 accident-free miles while running on autonomous mode. There hasn't been a major self-driving car accident (at least on public roads) that we can recall, and the manufacturers will sure hope it stays that way.

“Autonomous vehicles are the future of transportation. The potential safety and mobility benefits are enormous," said Jean Shiomoto, director of the California DMV. "Testing on public roads is one step to developing this technology, and the DMV is excited in facilitating the advancement of autonomous vehicles in California."


TAGS: Google, self-driving vehicles, California

 
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