After currently testing the self-driving cars in California and Texas, Google decided to develop and to move towards selling the cars.
Google's self-driving cars, limited to 25mph, include sensors and 3D mapping technology which create a virtual map of the car's current environment and obstacles. There have been a reported 11 cases of accidents involving the cars, all of which Google claims were down to human error.
A few details has been developed, which now include a new set of buttons -- "go," "please slow down and stop," and "stop pretty quickly" -- useful for drivers who wish to retain some control over the cars and can act as a human set of eyes alongside sensors in detecting obstacles.
Hunter commented: "We haven't decided yet how we're going to bring this to market. Right now, our engineers are trying to figure out , how to make a car genuinely drive itself. Is it something that we manufacture at scale for sale to individuals? Or is it something that we own and operate as a service?"
While this statement implies consumers interested in purchase may be waiting a long time, the executive also said models which are released to the general public may not be all-electric in the same manner as current prototypes. Instead, it is possible the cars will be hybrids.
Krafcik, the technical giant does not want to manufacture the cars itself, but hopes to partner with other companies willing to shoulder this part of the process.
