Technological advances in new cars keep growing at a rapid pace. The aim has been towards a better, safer commute/travel on the road. Which is why, self-driving cars have caught on the fancy of auto-makers & tech-giants, who are betting on them being the messiahs of safer road commutes in the future.
Google perhaps is at the forefront of the entire shift towards autonomous mobility solutions & here’s 10 interesting facts on Google’s self-driving car that we know so far.
1. The shift towards autonomous mobility isn’t new for Google. True to its nature, Google began testing self-driving cars all the way back in 2009, when it took Toyota’s iconic Prius hybrid around California.
2. Things accelerated further, when another Toyota vehicle, the Lexus RX450 hybrid became one of the first new cars in 2012 to be chosen for Google’s autonomous driving car program.
3. Finally, sometime two-years ago, Google made the shift from off-the-shelf cars to their self-designed & developed car that it continues to work on, as a viable alternative in the self-driving car movement.
4. Among the 10 interesting facts on Google’s self-driving car is that it is likely to have no steering wheel or control pedals – behaving more like pods, rather than cars, so to speak.
5. Google is working flat out to introduce their version of the self-driving car before the turn of the century. So don’t be surprised to see Google making an announcement that it is launching a self-driving car before 2020.
6. As it battles competition from fellow tech giant Apple, Google is also facing increased resistance from mainstream auto-manufacturers, who feel that some form of manual control ought to be provided for the driver.
7. The current, bubble-shaped design of the car has been panned by critics as being too cartoonish in the way it looks. Given how evocative & personal cars can be for people, Google has been criticized for threatening that experience.
8. Pedestrian safety is high on Google’s checklist for their self-driving car, especially as it is rumoured that people won’t have driving controls inside the vehicle, apart from a start-stop button.
9. Top on the 10 interesting facts on googles self-driving car is that it is only congested urban centres that are likely to be the focus for it, for now. This is due to rumours, that Google will limit it to no more than 25 mp/h.
10. Critics say, it is the tech-giant’s attempt to control yet another aspect of our lives, and a far-reaching one at that. Not everyone is convinced of the benefits outweighing the risks involved in such an approach.
