Google Starts Its Own Car Company
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (CBS Sacramento) - We're used to thinking of Google as driving Internet traffic. But the search engine giant is setting up its own auto company as it explores driverless cars, reports The Guardian.
Google Auto is led by Chris Urmson, who is also the lead project manager for the self-driving car program.
Earlier this year, Google was trying to form a partnership with one of the major auto makers. The company held talks with General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Daimler and Volkswagen.
But it seems no such partnership was formed, so Google has opted to make its own cars.
The auto company was formed in 2011, according to documents obtained by The Guardian.
At first it was used to modify and test a fleet of driverless Lexus SUVs. But as the program grew, so the the role played by Google Auto.
In May the company announced it intended to build 100 prototype self-driving cars from scratch.
The new cars will be missing a few features we've become used to seeing in a vehicle, like steering wheels, accelerators and brake pedals.
Google Auto has applied for international vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and is organizing emissions testing with the state of California.
It is also working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In order to avoid certain safety requirements and rigorous crash testing, the cars will be classified as lightweight low speed vehicles (LSVs) and will have a top speed of only 25 miles-per-hour.
For now, Google has no plans to sell cars on the open market, says The Guardian. But if the testing is successful, who knows, you may be able to park a Google car in your garage.
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