Google started working on self-driving cars a long time back and as more and more traditional car makers decide they want a piece of the pie too, the Mountain View company keeps its head down and continues with its work. Google has been testing its technology with retrofitted Lexus SUVs but it has also developed prototypes of its own self-driving car. The Lexus SUVs from Google have up till now been tested on real roads around Mountain View but they’re now headed to a completely different state.
The company has confirmed that it’s going to start testing its autonomous cars in Austin, Texas. This has been made possible following grant of permission by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the local police as well as the Texas Department of Transportation.
One of its cars is already down there “a few square miles north and northeast of downtown Austin,” even though the cars are capable of driving themselves completely Google has made sure that a safety driver is present during these tests to ensure safety on the road.
That said, Austin doesn’t appear to be providing much of a challenge to the company’s self-driving technology. Google says that its car is already capable enough of easily negotiating “Austin’s pedicabs, pickup trucks, and everything in between.”
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