Since the self-driving project got off the ground in 2009, most of Google’s testing has taken place in its home base of Mountain View.
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Google’s older Lexus prototypes – two SUVs – will take on the streets of Texas.
Google said Tuesday that it has been testing its self-driving vehicle in the Texas state capital in recent weeks, the first spins outside the company’s Mountain View, CA, headquarters.
“From pedicabs to pickup trucks, Austin’s streets will give our self-driving auto some new learning experiences so we can continue to refine our software and understand how different communities perceive it”, Jennifer Haroon, head of business operations for the Google self-driving auto project, said in a news release.
[Google and Houston Chronicle via Engadget]. Google did not say exactly where the driverless cars would be tested. The Google vehicle was stopped at a red light when the vehicle behind bumped into it at 1 mile per hour – no damage occurred, not even a scrape.
Google executives have stated the corporate doesn’t need to construct its personal self-driving cars, however would like to discover a improvement and manufacturing companion.
Last month, Google also began testing on the streets of Mountain View another one of the self-driving prototype cars it has built.
Google didn’t mention if Austin and Texas authorities have given the road test their blessing.
Texas doesn’t appear to have laws regulating autonomous vehicle use or testing. In the year 2013, during a conference of the state’s department of transportation, Google tried to obtain permission to operate its autonomous auto. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, would have created a pilot program to encourage testing of the technology in the state while also developing some minimum safety requirements for autonomous vehicles.
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Austin is the second city to test the vehicles. However, the accidents were not caused by a glitch in car’s software but rather by humans driving the other vehicles.
