Texas sees self-driving cars from Google

Texas sees self-driving cars from Google

Google is using Austin roads to test their self-driving prototypes.

Google’s self-driving cars continue to move slowly towards the public. India Today reports the company has brought its prototypes to Austin, TX to further their testing.

The internet research company has been working on self-driving cars since at least 2009 but testing has mainly been confined to the roads near their headquarters in Mountain View, California. Google does maintain an office in Austin, and is now using those roads to test how their cars react to traffic, people, and road conditions.

Google has stated their desire to work with a production and design automotive team to develop the cars but as of yet, most automobile companies are working on their own autonomous designs. The current Google prototype is a Lexus RX450h, a small, bubble-shaped vehicle.

While the cars are designed to control their own steering, brakes, and throttles, Google reports that all of their prototypes have humans in them to take over the process if necessary.

The Texas Department of Transportation was quoted in Google’s press release as saying it “welcomed” the testing.

Google has estimated self-driving cars could hit the road as soon as 2020.

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