Google Self-Driving Car Project

Menu

FAQ

About the project

On the road

Requests

What’s the difference between fully self-driving cars and driver assistance?

With fully self-driving technology, the car is designed to do all the work of driving and the human “driver” is never expected to take control of the vehicle at any time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calls this full self-driving automation (level 4). This is the type of technology Google is working on.

Driver assistance could include technology like adaptive cruise control or automated parking. With some driver assistance systems, there may be moments when the car is capable of self-driving, but it could also back out of this mode in certain situations and the driver is expected to take over as needed. This type of technology falls between function-specific automation and limited self-driving automation (levels 1-3) by NHTSA’s classification.

Why is Google working on fully self-driving cars?

Our goal is to transform mobility by making it easier, safer and more enjoyable to get around. We believe that the full potential of self-driving technology will only be delivered when a vehicle can drive itself from place to place at the push of a button, without any human intervention. For example, there are many people who are unable to drive at all who could greatly benefit from fully self-driving cars.

Which partners is Google working with?

It takes a lot of parts to build a car—especially a fully self-driving one. To build our prototype, we worked with established automotive partners from around the world including Roush, Bosch, Continental, FRIMO, LG Electronics, Prefix, RCO, ZF Lenksysteme and many others. We look forward to working with these partners and others to bring this technology into the world safely.

What’s next for the project?

We're currently testing and refining our technology in Mountain View, CA, Austin, TX, Kirkland, WA and Metro Phoenix, AZ. In coming years, we’d like to explore other cities that can teach us about different types of challenging weather and terrain. We’d also like to run small pilot programs with our prototypes to learn what people would like to do with vehicles like these.

How do you plan to bring the technology to market?

We’re going to learn a lot from our testing in the coming years, including how people might like to use self-driving technology in their daily lives. If the technology develops as we hope, we’ll work with partners to bring this technology into the world safely.

What types of vehicles do you have on the road?

Our testing fleet includes both modified Lexus SUVs and new prototype vehicles that are designed from the ground up to be fully self-driving. Our cars are currently out on the streets of Mountain View, CA, Austin, TX, Kirkland, WA and Metro Phoenix, AZ. We’ve self-driven over 1.5 million miles and have accumulated the equivalent of over 75 years of driving experience on the road (based on a typical American adult driving about 13,000 miles per year).

For now, test drivers are aboard all of our vehicles to watch over how the cars drive and provide feedback to the engineering team. The prototype vehicles in particular are equipped with removable steering wheels, accelerator pedals and brake pedals that allow test drivers to take over driving if desired. We plan to eventually remove these manual controls from the prototypes because our vehicles are ultimately designed to operate without a human driver.

Why do you need to test the vehicles on public roads?

We have been testing on private test tracks and plan to continue doing so. However, we also need to experience real, complex scenarios on city streets to make progress, since test tracks and obstacle courses do not reflect the complexity of driving on real roads. We additionally hope to learn how the community perceives and interacts with the vehicles, and look forward to uncovering any other challenges that are unique to a fully self-driving vehicle. Our goal is to ultimately make driving easier and safer for everyone.

Why are the prototypes’ speed limited to 25mph?

It’s important that our prototype vehicles are neighborhood-friendly, so we’ve capped their speed to a limit of 25mph. Our prototype vehicles spend most of their time cruising residential streets, though they also move between neighborhoods via main thoroughfares with speed limits of up to 35mph, as permitted by roadway regulations.

How do the vehicles behave on the road? How do they respond to objects like pedestrians, cyclists, road work, etc.?

Our cars use their sensors and software to perceive different types of objects like pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, road work and more, and are designed to safely drive around them. We’ve also taught the cars to drive conservatively. For example, they pause 1.5 seconds after the light turns green at an intersection because many accidents happen during this time. Learn more about how the technology works.

Why do you have test drivers in the car? What do they do?

Our test drivers watch over how the car drives and provide feedback to the engineering team on its behavior, helping to make a ride in the car smoother and more comfortable. They are also able to take over driving if desired.

All test drivers go through rigorous training that includes hours of experience handling extreme and complicated driving situations. They also know intimately how the car works, both in terms of the software and hardware. Learn more (YouTube video).

When or why would the test drivers take control of the vehicle?

All test drivers are professionally trained to take control of the vehicle at any time. They're also trained to be conservative in deciding when they should take over—if they notice that the car is not being as smooth or safe as it could be, they'll take over driving immediately. Our engineering team is then able to replay the situation on our computers and see what the car would’ve done had the test driver not taken over. We can then make improvements to the software based on this information and ensure that we will be able to smoothly navigate similar situations in future.

Will Google’s self-driving cars get into accidents? Have they gotten into accidents before?

Safety is our top priority. We've been involved in a small number of accidents in more than 1.5 million miles of autonomous driving. For more information, view our monthly reports.

I saw a vehicle with artwork on the door. Who created this artwork and can I participate?

This is part of “Paint the Town”, an art experiment where we’ve invited local artists in California and Austin to submit artwork and help transform our prototype vehicles into moving pieces of public art. Learn more about the local artwork.

I would like to provide feedback on how the cars drive on the road. How can I get in touch?

Your opinion is important to us. Please contact us and tell us about your experience.

I’d like to join the team. Where can I find a list of open roles?

Please submit your resume to one of our open roles.

How can I get a demo ride or become a volunteer tester?

All of our focus is currently on developing our technology and we are unable to accommodate requests for demonstration rides or volunteer testers at the moment.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to see our self-driving car up close, please visit the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA to view their exhibit, “Where To? A History of Autonomous Vehicles”. You’ll be able to learn more about self-driving technology and even sit inside one of our prototype vehicles.

Can you help me with my school or research project?

Please visit our website, YouTube, and Google+ page for public information on our project. We are unable to provide additional information at the moment.

Can you expand testing to my city or country?

Our team is currently only testing our technology in Mountain View, CA, Austin, TX, Kirkland, WA, and Metro Phoenix, AZ. We look forward to expanding testing to other cities in future. Please follow our Google+ page for the latest on our testing locations.

Can you come to my school, event, company or conference?

We are unable to accommodate most appearance requests due to our busy development and testing schedules. For special requests, please use our contact form. Please note we may not be able to respond to all inquiries.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to see our self-driving car up close, please visit the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA to view their exhibit, “Where To? A History of Autonomous Vehicles”. You’ll be able to learn more about self-driving technology and even sit inside one of our prototype vehicles.