What it is like to drive a Google car?

Posted By: Emma WardPosted date: September 22, 2014In: Cars

Google car does not offer a superlative driving experience. It has been described as too slippery around curves. In fact, there seems to be nothing remarkable about the vehicle.

Google Inc.’s driverless car technology cannot be the ‘best of the best’ innovation, since you cannot give full control to a computer. The technology would be perfect only if car companies were also flawless in innovating driverless technology. However, there are chances that a machine cannot detect the situation properly. There are also chances that the computer might crash and therefore will not perform in the best possible way. Also, people who love to drive may not find the idea of driverless car driving all that appealing.

However, people who can afford the technology could still be tempted to buy such a car. It will be a fantasy for many to drive a driverless car because humans have a natural fondness for driving without having to worry about traffic hazards and congestion.

The Google car technology can easily handle routine driving. It’s a gas-electric hybrid vehicle. To prevent collisions, the car has been designed with front mounted radar sensors. Another, more noticeable feature is the revolving cylinder balanced above the car’s roof, which comprises lasers, cameras, detection, sensors and guidance gear.

The driving experience is pretty uneventful . It stops and starts, steers and locks like a normal car. Google’s driverless car has a system which keeps it within the designated speed limit. However, research shows that often, the speed limit is not ideal for the road conditions, and can be dangerous when other cars around you are going much faster.

Google’s test cars lack steering wheels, brakes and accelerator pedals. They are similar to self-driving golf carts because there is a speed limit of 25 mph. It runs on electricity and is a two-seated vehicle.

There are also some ethical issues to consider. For example, hitting pedestrians – who would be responsible in a driverless car? Will it be the occupants of the car, the software company or the car manufacturer? Some experts are of the opinion that it is the technical and legal issues that are the hardest problem to solve.

Investment bank Morgan Stanley, made a prediction in their report on the budding driverless industry that, in a decade, self-driving cars will be seen on the roads. Experts believe that prediction to be highly optimistic.