The Google Car is getting more attention than ever this week thanks to the new appointment of CEO Krafcik, a new leaked patent that sparked a bit of interest on how artificial intelligence will be incorporated in the self-driving car and the rumor that the Google Car is nearing production. What most people omitted from this flood of news is that Google is not alone in this project and they won’t be manufacturing the Google Car from scratch – instead giving that task to professionals.
According to company executive Phillip Justus, managing director in Europe, the Google Car is not being developed by Google alone. As we all know, other manufacturer and players within the automotive industry are also on board the self-driving car project. Companies like Bosch have partnered up with Google for the manufacturing process of the Google Car, but Google themselves only deal in software applications and engineering.
Justus, when speaking to Reuters, stressed the fact that the Google Car’s development does not mean that the Mountain View giant is commissioning factories to manufacture the entire vehicle. Rather Google is working together with other companies to create the “hardware” for the highly advanced AI software that the company is designing specifically for autonomous vehicles.
Although not all companies on board with Google Car are official yet, judging by what the exec said to Reuters, we should start getting accustomed to Google being behind the scenes rather than on stage. With the incorporation of AI into the Google Car, and with multiple manufacturing and engineering partners already on board, the Google Car is right on track. Our best guess would be that Google is ready with the software by 2017, with manufacturers starting the process shortly after. Don’t be surprised if in three years, Google Car goes mainstream, although in all likelihood, it will take longer than that due to regulatory and safety concerns, which Google is still addressing.
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