Google's Self-Driving Cars to Hit Public California Roads

Fulfilling its goal of rolling out vehicles that could shoulder the entire burden of driving, Google's self-driving cars will hit public California roads soon.

"A few of the prototype vehicles we've created will leave the test track and hit the familiar roads of Mountain View, Calif., with our safety drivers aboard," Chris Urmson, Director of Google Self-Driving Car Project, said in a post on Google blog last Friday.

The next phase of the project will have safety drivers on board with a removable steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal that allow them to take over driving if needed. Google will look to answer other questions such as where the car should stop if it can’t stop at its exact destination due to construction or congestion.

Google have been running the vehicles through rigorous testing at its test facilities, and ensuring the company's software and sensors work as they’re supposed to on this new vehicle. The new prototypes, according to Google, will drive with the same software that our existing fleet of self-driving Lexus RX450h SUVs uses.


Each prototype’s speed is capped at a neighborhood-friendly 25mph, and during this next phase of the project, the company will have safety drivers aboard with a removable steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal that allow them to take over driving if needed.

Image credit: Google