We all know that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is all about innovative ventures and next generation technological gadgets and devices. One such project and among the most anticipated ones is its self-driving car. Google announced on Monday that the car’s prototype is all set for its first road test.
There was a lot of skepticism regarding the project, many thought that it would never become real and investors had their doubts about the amount of money that will go into it. There are many other concerns about the car such as its road security; however despite all these factors the prototype, according to Google, is ready for testing.
It is believed that Google’s team, which is working on the car, will spend their holidays testing it. The prototype is just a car’s plan manifestation at this stage and does not have many features including a steering wheel. The team said that the car will be free of any sort of pedals, brakes or steering wheels and give the driver the ultimate experience of a self-driving car. The vehicle will run using sensors that will navigate the car without any help from the driver.
Google, at this point, has not revealed much information regarding the car’s technical features. According to experts if the prototype worked then the internet giant will mark an entirely new era for vehicles and will be seen as the pioneer in the field.
The speed of Google’s self-driving car at the moment is just around 25 miles or 40 kilometers an hour and the prototype will be powered by a battery. These cars will not be categorized as a luxury vehicle instead it is being designed for utility.
Google revealed in a blog post on Monday that the bug shaped prototype is one of many designs that the company came up with for its prototype vehicle. Each of those prototypes was designed to test the various systems of the car separately. The final prototype that is test-ready has all those systems and is claimed to be the first complete prototype of a self-driving car.
Google is not the only company that sees potential in the self-driving car field; other companies including Tesla have toyed with the idea. Many other big names have experimented with auto features, including self-parking; however no one so far has come up with a fully automated self-driving prototype.
Mike Hudson who keeps tabs on the automotive industry’s progress says that if these cars became a success then they would change the consumer’s life just the way smartphones did. But it is still too soon to tell whether Hudson is right or not; it will be many years before the acceptance level of these cars can be seen as satisfactory by self-driving car manufacturers.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has many factors to consider before it can think about mass-producing these vehicles. First and foremost is the response the prototype will get and then comes the question of investment and technical expertise to make these vehicles safe and ideal for roads and finally the probability of partnerships with other companies. However if things worked out then Google, once again, will have yet another success under its belt.