Google Working with Auto Makers to Bring Self-Driving Car to the Road

Page 15 Tech Google self driving carGoogle has confirmed it is in advanced discussions with most of the worlds top auto manufacturers in order to speed efforts to bring self-driving cars to the market by 2020.

Google is working on assembling a team of traditional and non-traditional suppliers, with auto manufacturers including General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen on board as part of the development group.

“Wed be remiss not to talk to…the biggest auto manufacturers,” said Chris Urmson, director of Googles self-driving car project. “Theyve got a lot to offer. For us to jump in and say that we can do this better, thats arrogant.”

Google has not yet decided whether or not it will build its own self-driving vehicles beyond the prototypes it has already produced, or if it will function as a provider of systems and software for more established vehicle brands.

The 2020 goalpost is in line with views expressed by chief executive of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk at the Automotive News World Congress earlier this week, where he claimed that the lack of clear federal regulations covering autonomous cars could delay them hitting the market until 2022 or 2023.

Urmson, however, says he does not expect any particular regulatory hurdles, and noted that Google has been briefing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the chief auto regulator in the US, since early on in the self-driving car program.