Development on self-driving cars has been going on steadily over the past few years and it’s the internet giant Google that has been at the forefront in the attempts to bring this revolutionary technology to reality. Looking to speed things up, Google has now announced that it is developing a self-driving technology development centre in Novi, Michigan.
Many of Google’s current partners are based in the proposed new area. It makes sense then to set up a local facility that will help Google collaborate more easily with the local vehicle development and engineering facilities.
Google is currently busy setting up this upcoming facility which is spread across 53,000 sq ft. One of the first tasks of this development centre will be to ready Google’s self-driving Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans.
Google has made it official that its concerned representatives will begin moving into the facility sometime later this year.
The concept of self-driving vehicles has caught the fancy of many, thanks to experimental efforts from brands including Google, Volvo and Tesla and it’s the former that has been at the forefront to take the piloted driving technology to whole new levels. While Tesla has already introduced semi-autonomous driving technology in cars like the Model S, Google is going all out with the future of self-driving cars. After starting off with a humble Prius in 2009, the company released a fully functional self-driving prototype in December 2014. Currently, their testing fleet includes both modified Lexus SUVs and new prototype vehicles that are designed from the ground up to be fully self-driving.