Google Unwraps New Technology This Holiday Season

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Dec 23, 2014

Google (GOOG, Financial) is referred to as the leader of technology – beit  in the area of search optimization, in the mobile world or even in technology in cars where it has put its foot forward and is trying to create its niche. Did you hear about self-driven cars – it’s a concept Google has been working upon and most probably it’s ready with the prototype this holiday season. While most of the automakers have been trying to include some autonomous or semi-autonomous features in their vehicles, none of them have been able to make a self-driven car. So, if Google succeeds in this mission, it will carve a niche in the auto industry as well. Let’s find out what news is out on the self-driven car advocated by Google.

It’s a gift this season

Just yesterday Google has announced that the first completed prototype of its self-driven car is ready to be road tested. The prototype exhibits the manifestation of plans that Google revealed this May to build its own autonomous car minus typical features like the steering wheel.

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In May, Google’s management had discussed that there would not be any steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal in its autonomous car as these features would not be required. Early this year, Google had shared that the top speed of the battery powered prototype would be 25 miles (40 kilometers) per hour and that it would be designed as a utility vehicle, not as a luxury vehicle.

Google stated, “We’ve been working on different prototypes-of-prototypes, each designed to test different systems of a self-driving car –Â for example, the typical car parts like steering and braking, as well as the self-driving parts like the computer and sensors. …We’ve now put all those systems together in this fully functional vehicle –Â our first complete prototype for fully autonomous driving.”

The titan’s autonomous car team stated in a post that they would be spending the holidays zipping around the test track, hoping to see all their customers on the streets of North California in the new year.

A transformational step

According to Mike Hudson, who tracks the auto industry for eMarketer, “Self-driving cars, if widely adopted, stand to be as transformative to consumer life as the smartphone.” As emission norms are becoming stricter in California and other states in the U.S. customers are already shifting to hybrids and electric vehicles and now this autonomous car could become one of the consumer choices as well.

The autonomous car from Google is a bubble-like car that resembles the compact Volkswagen (VLKAY, Financial) Beetle. Though there is no clarity on when these autonomous vehicles would hit the market, yet Google’s venture into making a self-driven car looks to be a solid effort from its research and development team.

Final word

Google is all set to change the paradigm of the auto industry by launching its self-driven car which would aid in creating a niche for Google in the auto sector. Truly, only time will suggest whether the self-driven car turns to be a success but if it does Google could see better days in the long run.