Passengers Could Be Testing Out Google Self-Driving Cars By This Year
MOUNTAIN VIEW (CBS SF) -- The day when passengers are routinely riding in driverless cars appears to be closer than expected, according to a published report.
A Google spokeswoman told Quartz that the company's Google X research lab could start letting members of the public test out its cars as early as this year.
Spokeswoman Katelin Jabbari told Quartz the pilot program would be conducted in California and potentially limited to a few dozen people.
The timing of the pilot tests would hinge on how quickly the technology to detect road signs and other vehicles could be developed.
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In January, the head of Google's unit on self-driving cars said he expected people to be using them on public roads in two to five years.
Jabbari did not say what the pilot program would entail but told Quartz the tests should give Google a better sense of "how people might want to use a self-driving car in their daily lives."
Google says it has already logged around 700,000 miles testing autonomous vehicles.
