Featuring all the individual systems that it has been trialling over the last few years, this latest prototype, says Google, is representative of the final product.

Due to be tested on California’s public roads early in the new year, the little Google car sports a function-over-form design clearly indicating a focus on the self-driving aspect of the vehicle. Creating a car that virtually anyone, including the sight-impaired, could simply hop in and request a destination remains Google’s stated goal.

Along with the self-driving components – the complex computer systems and sensors – this latest prototype still has a steering wheel and pedals, allowing the driver to directly control the vehicle during the testing phase.

It’s the success of the car during this testing phase, how the market takes to the idea of autonomous driving, and how legislation is adapted that will determine the next step in what has to be the inevitable progress towards vehicles that can drive themselves.

 

 

Original article from Car