Google's Self-Driving Car Unit Will Be A Standalone Company In 2016, Could Challenge Uber

[FLPanhandle]

http://jalopnik.com/googles-self-driving-car-unit-will-be-a-standalone-comp-1748347516



If you thought of Google’s adorable panda-like driverless car as a glorified science experiment until now, get ready to change your mind. According to reports within the company, Google is set to make its driverless car program a standalone “Alphabet” business in 2016—the biggest sign yet that driverless cars are something Google wants as a source of revenue.

Earlier this year Google reorganized under the Alphabet name and announced several units would be spun-off as their own companies. Currently the self-driving car program, which has logged more than 1 million miles on public roads, is under the X research division.

But with automakers and tech companies racing toward autonomous vehicles, sometimes together and sometimes not, Google’s unit was unlikely to stay a research project for long.

As Bloomberg notes, and as we noted this fall, one of the most important yet curiously under-the-radar car industry stories this year was former Hyundai CEO John Krafcik’s move to the Google driverless car program. With a seasoned and respected car industry veteran like Krafcik on its side, Google’s car unit could be a truly disruptive force in how we address driving and mobility.

The autonomotive singularity is coming, and the tip of its spear looks like a panda.


I'd absolutely use this if it was available. No dealing with a driver.

[haele]

1. Hmmm...

Spouse is mobility-disabled. And often needs a ride to doctors, which I'm stuck doing.

If it is relatively inexpensive, I think he'd prefer something like this rather than trying to arrange an MTS shuttle or call Uber. There are often time constraints and personal issues with both, and he'd prefer just to go to the doctor and back.

There would be only two issue would be getting to where the car would pick him up. First is size of vehicle; he has a long torso and the car needs to be able to fit someone who seems to be 6'5 when sitting. Second is address - we live in a trailer park "space" and Google Maps doesn't yet recognize that level of granularity in addressing, even though it does recognize that particular street by name in the park. Well, third - we're also gated, so getting in - maybe use the Fed-Ex or UPS master codes?

Haele

[greytdemocrat]

2. LOL!!

I'd pass till the 1st few accidents. Let them
work out the bugs on someone else assuming
they don't get sued to death.