No hands, no fuel, no brakes
Google plans to build and launch subcompact cars that could drive in cities without a person at the wheel.
Actually, the cars would not even have a wheel. Or fuel and brake pedals. The company says the vehicles will use sensors and computing power, with no human needed.
Google hopes that by this time next year, 100 of the two-seaters will be on public roads, following extensive testing. The cars would not be for sale and instead would be provided to select people for further tweaking and have limitations such as a 40kmh top speed.
Yesterday’s announcement presents a challenge to carmakers that have been more cautious about introducing fully automated driving and to government regulators who are scrambling to accommodate self-driving cars on public roads. Other firms are working on the technology, but none as large as Google has said it intends to put such cars in the hands of the pub- lic so soon.
To date, Google has driven hundreds of thousands of kilometres on roads and motorways in Lexus SUVs and Toyota Priuses outfitted with special sensors and cameras. But with a ‘‘safety driver’’ in the front seat, those vehicles were not truly self-driving.
Instead of the standard controls, the prototypes would have buttons to begin and end the drive. Passengers would set a destination. The car would then make turns and react to other vehicles and pedestrians based on computer programs that predict what others might do, and data from sensors including radar and cameras that read in real time what other objects are actually doing.
The route might be set by typing a destination into a map or using spoken commands, Chris Urmson, the leader of Google’s self-driving car team, said yesterday.
The car will be powered by electricity and could go about 160km before charging.