GOOGLE
Google has begun the search for a manufacturing partner to help produce it's self-driving cars
Google has revealed that in order to achieve its goal of building a self-driving car that can be produced in enough numbers to make it a viable proposition for consumers.
Peter Krafcik, who heads Google’s car project, told an audience of automotive industry figures in Detroit the previous week: “The message is that we understand... we're going to need tons of help in the next stage of our project. We’re going to be partnering more and more and more: you can count on it, though I don’t have anything certain to say today.”
There has been speculation that Google and Ford were going to do a deal on production of the revolutionary car, however, this has been denied by both companies. Krafcik was also non-committal when asked whether he had recently met with General Motors (GM).
Krafcik, a previous employee of GM, said that Google had major gaps in its knowledge that it would need to build a production car.
“Automakers have a track record of producing cars at scale,” Krafcik said.
“As work progresses, we look forward to working with several of you people as we bring this technology to market.”
GETTY
Peter Krafcik is head of the company's burgeoning self-driving car programme
He added that the company had to “figure out the right set of partnerships” and that it was currently too early to say whether Google would work with more than one car manufacturer on a number of vehicles, or with a single carmaker on one model.
We’ve just been delighted, honestly, by the amount of inbound interest in the programme
Peter Krafcik, Google car project
“We’ve just been delighted, honestly, by the amount of inbound interest in the programme,” he said. “Every [carmaker] has been wanting to speak to us.”
Krafcik also explained how Google had decided that vehicles had to be completely self-driving, while the traditional manufacturers are working on the basis that drivers will want to take over in difficult situations.
He explained how the cars were gaining experience in dealing with a wide range of scenarios on the road in testing around the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, and also in Austin, Texas.
Exactly when self-driving cars will be a mass-produced reality is still being kept under wraps
Even some that no automated car could be prepared for.
For example, one car had to deal with an encounter involving a woman in a mobility scooter chasing a duck around a road with a broom.
Understandably, the vehicle’s software contained no specific algorithm to cope with such a situation, however, it had slowed down and observed the situation until it understood what was going on.
- Daily Express