It is pretty common knowledge these days that Google has been busy working on a self-driving car, but unfortunately it seems that car manufacturers aren’t too eager to use Google’s technology and incorporate it into their own vehicles which is why a recent report from Amir Efrati has revealed that instead of collaborating with car manufacturers, Google will instead attempt to build a self-driving car of their own and are reportedly holding talks with manufacturers to build vehicles according to Google’s design and specifications.
While this might sound like a fun piece of technology, it might not be available for individuals to purchase right off the bat. Instead Google is looking more at “robo-taxis” which are self-driving taxis that can pick up customers, especially thanks to Google’s recent investment in taxi hailing service, Uber. It is expected that perhaps down the line Google could start making these vehicles available to individual drivers, although price is one of the main concerns.
According to Efrati, the current self-driving vehicle Google uses is a modified Toyota whose total amounts to a whopping $150,000 which includes a $70,000 laser radar, a key component of the self-driving technology, and definitely out of the reach for the average consumer. What do you guys think about a fleet of self-driving “robo-taxis”? No more awkward conversations, that’s for sure!
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