OTTAWA: Google Inc has unveiled that its self-driving car will be ready by 2020 and has confirmed that it is already in talks with major automotive manufacturers as it prepares for mass production.
Chris Urmson, project director for Google’s self-driving car project, said the Internet giant is working with traditional auto suppliers as well as tech-based hardware companies to get the job done.
Potentially spurred on by competition from the likes of Mercedes and Audi, Google has decided to ramp up efforts to ensure its autonomous car is the first to market.
According to reports, Google hasn’t decided whether it will manufacture the self-driving car itself or sell software and systems to traditional manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Daimler and Volkswagen. Urmson said Google was in talks with all five about production proposals.
Roush, a specialty manufacturer in Detroit, built Google’s latest autonomous vehicles. The compact, pod-like prototypes have a very distinct and futuristic appearance; however Urmson told the design probably would evolve as the project moves forward.
A fleet of Google’s self-driving cars will soon be deployed without steering wheels or pedals, he said. Continental AG, Robert Bosch, LG Electronics and Nvidia Corp. are all developing parts and systems along with Google.
