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Self-driving cars could soon be a much more common sight on Mountain View streets as part of Google’s plan to roll out a new fleet of prototype vehicles this summer.
The company announced Friday it would begin testing out a new line of its autonomous cars in the coming weeks. As many as 25 new self-driving vehicles could begin driving on local roads, and Google employees say they want to collect feedback from Mountain View residents on how the new auto-piloted cars interact with the flurry of activity on the road.
This would not the first time the company has test-driven its prototypes on local streets. For the last few years, Google has already been testing about 20 Lexus SUVs equipped with self-driving software in Mountain View — combined, they’ve logged up to 10,000 miles per week.
Google representatives describe their new custom-built vehicles as the next phase toward eventually bringing the autonomous cars to the consumer market.
In this testing round, all of the new models will have a driver sitting behind the dashboard who will be able to override the autopilot for manual control of the car. All of the self-driving cars will be traveling under 25 mph.
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Great, I think Google should let some of Mountain View residents try out these new cars. Not going to happen.:-(
I like the idea of self driving cars, will be great for people unable to drive.
Google is just wasting their money. Everyone knows that young people no longer want to drive and that everyone wants to get out of their cars. That is why the BRT Lanes were approved. Busses will save us all and issue in The Brave New World!
Jim Neal
Old Mountain View
Every 20 something I know wants a self driver. None consider the bus any sort of option at all.
While not mentioned here, the preliminary rules require a steering wheel, brakes, and a licensed driver capable of overriding the autonomous vehicle and manually controlling it.
So no, it is not a solution for people unable to drive, at least initially. While this is my own personal guess, it will be 15-20 years before we have fully autonomous vehicles that can operate by themselves and carry people who are unable to drive.
The primary goal of Google’s autonomous vehicle is safety improvement (fewer accidents), not mobility assistance.
The people whom it will benefit the most would be the occupants as well as the cars around them.
The car would find some interest from people who dislike driving (I’m one of them), but it’s not like the driver-occupant can take a nap like a Caltrain passenger. Still, I’m personally very interested in how these vehicle develop. I’ve see the Lexus test vehicles around a lot.
This is really early stage stuff. Its still exciting to be able to watch the technology grow from the bottom up right in our own town. I think this is a definite “In our lifetime*” sort of thing that we’ll see as normal one day.
Pretty cool IMO
*Disclaimer: Lifetimes may vary
I appreciate all the innovation that is going on with Google and other companies but I think we keep putting the cart before the horse. There are so many other important issues to be solved before we conquer the self-driving car. Ending hunger, pollution and war come to mind as well as figuring out how to work the genome so we can end disease and criminality. These futuristic ideas will also require a major shift in our psychology if we are to succeed as a race. Of course these things aren’t as sexy as a self-driving car so there we have it.
Please, please, please, let’s start this amazing move forward> Well done, Google!
“All cars will be travelling under 25 mph”. Great. I get stuck behind these cars all the time and it is very annoying. If you are going to make a self driving car, make it follow the rules and the flow of traffic. Getting stuck behind one of these cars going 15mph in a school zone on a weekend is very annoying. Thankfully the real driver behind the wheel can respond to some horn honking.
@hurry up:
Speed kills.
A self driving car will not mind sitting in traffic on ECR once the BRT is complete.
I’m having trouble adjusting to the Google SUV’s all over the streets. They are kind of pokey, never exceed the speed limit, and always stop for pedestrians even jay-walkers.What’s to become of this world if that kind of driving becomes the norm?
Is Google sharing its 3D maps and the data collected from its Mountain View streets tests with the City ? Sounds like that wealth of information could be mined to improve our streets for every one (spot corners with poor visibility, poorly marked crosswalks, …) …. and even detect where pot holes might need a refill 🙂
I have one concern about the day when the”average person” is allowed to drive the Google cars. I can well imagine a person not paying attention and depending totally on the car’s driving instinct to keep out of trouble. It only takes a half second of inattention to cause an accident or hit a bike that the “self-drive” mechanism might have missed.
I’m more worried about humans driving regular cars.
In a regular car, you have an attention-challenged, Facebook/Instagramming emotional nitwit with a limited field of view which might occasionally be limited to a smartphone screen.
At least in an autonomous vehicle there’s a computer with 360 degree sensors that doesn’t care about selfies nor ever gets tired.
@Jim Neal,
Google is just one of many companies that are developing self-driving cars.
Ford and General Motors have joined Audi, Renault, Toyota,Volvo, Peugeo, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Uber in the race.
Self-driving cars will provide fast, convenient point to point service.
BRT is great if yoy are going to or from San Jose and don’t mind walking to the bus, waiting for the bus, and the noise, smells, and pushing on the bus.
I’ll take a car every time!
I hope they do not test drive on El Camino Real between Wolfe Rd and Castro during commute rush hours. The lights are timed so that if you travel at 35 to 40 miles an hour, you will hit a lot of green ones. If the autonomous cars stay in the far right lane, this should not be an issue. Per the concept,
I feel they will eventually prevent many accidents and save lives.
Or maybe….more drivers should start following the actual rules of the road. Drivers don’t drive the correct speed limit in school zones during the week, which is why nearly 1/2 dozen middle schoolers have been hit by cars.
I would prefer people drive slower rather than worry about when they don’t have to follow the posted limits.
My experience with Google car…. Elis street has a 25 MPH school zone the Google car thinks it is 15 and cars are passing it, so it decides to change lanes but then it stops blocking both lanes for a pedestrians on the sidewalk. Your on the street Google learn to drive.
Having a driver in the car won’t be much help going forward since people who don’t drive at all or drive infrequently will lose their driving skills. They’ll also be less likely to keep up with changes in the Motor Vehicle Code and news about road conditions.
I can hardly wait to return to the road. I was barred from self-driving after people were spooked by the movie named after me. Silly people.
@Konrad – I hope that you understood that I was just being facetious.
Jim Neal
Old Mountain View
@driver
“Speed kills.”
Then maybe some police enforcement on weekdays in front of schools?
@Neil Jensen
“They are kind of pokey, never exceed the speed limit, and always stop for pedestrians even jay-walkers.What’s to become of this world if that kind of driving becomes the norm?”
Thanks for the laugh: what would the world come to if we actually stopped for pedestrians?
@Whiskers
“I can well imagine a person not paying attention and depending totally on the car’s driving instinct to keep out of trouble.”
Imagine a generation of licensed ‘drivers’ who will be growing up with these cars and not have the experience to know when it’s misbehaving or when to at least pay attention.
@resident
“At least in an autonomous vehicle there’s a computer with 360 degree sensors that doesn’t care about selfies nor ever gets tired.”
Instead of taking selfies, it’s taking pictures of everyone else! I’m so glad they’re working on something that so far will keep me from getting tired of driving around MV.
Did anyone else grow up and learn to drive here and remember the first time they went to drive in SF or Berkeley and how driving on those streets were just a bit more complicated than sunny, simple, suburban Mountain View? Google’s self-driving laboratory needs to zoom out on their map and include driving in more diverse communities/conditions.
@AC
“…it decides to change lanes but then it stops blocking both lanes for a pedestrians on the sidewalk. Your on the street Google learn to drive.”
I watched one get ‘stuck’ behind a UPS truck making a delivery on a residential street for 4 minutes. Doesn’t seem like long but when it could’ve very easily and safely driven around it.
@rainbow38
“…people who don’t drive at all or drive infrequently will lose their driving skills…”
Makes you wonder about what problems Google et al. are creating while they solve one other. Maybe they can make a self-riding bike so bicyclists will stop causing so many accidents.
Nothing is preventing Google from venturing into different situations in a wide variety of cities. Eventually they will do so, but there are many stages in the development of this technology and we have yet to see any indication that Google is very deep into the development.
After all, the prototype discussed here travels at a maximum of 25 mph, not even capably fast enough to get on Central Expressway.
It appears that Google’s autonomous vehicle is still very much in the baby steps of its learning. You have to learn how to walk before you can run.
I thought this was pretty obvious, but apparently this needs to be pointed out to some others here.
@resident
Over a million miles driven, 10k a week, and still they can’t drive around a parked UPS truck on a residential street with no traffic?
I guess some of us have lower expectations for results – or at least different definitions of “baby steps”. Teenagers are far less focused and far less experienced and could still pull off that manuever safely.
At this “baby steps” pace, Google self-drivers will be ready for Mountain View streets (not anywhere else mind you) by what, 2030?
I must have bad luck. 2nd encounter with a Google car…. red light left turn lane. Do you know the slow driver who does not notice the light changed and leaves a few cars length when it does move? Then the light sensors detects the open cars gap and changes the light. The only thing was the Google car did not drive thru the yellow light and performed a quick stop. Which if anyone following close, may cause a accident for tail gating. The 3rd encounter was at a Peet’s coffee parking lot, no problem but I do not think the car drinks coffee.
Lest you forget:
The Wright Brothers first flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.
We have come a long way!
The Google self-driving cars are at the same stage as the Wright Brothers first flight.
Someday, you will say you were there at the beginning of self-driving cars.