Tech

Google unveils self-driving car

In the future, GM could stand for Google Motors.

The tech giant is building a fleet of electric-powered, self-driving cars in its quest to take human error out of the equation.

Four years after launching its self-driving project, Google unveiled a prototype vehicle on Tuesday that bears a striking resemblance to a Barbie car.

“They won’t have a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal … because they don’t need them. Our software and sensors do all the work,” Chris Urmson, the director of the car project, wrote in a blog post.

There are just two buttons: a red “e-stop” button for panic stops and a start button.

In the past, Google retrofitted existing cars made by Toyota and Lexus to show off its driver-less technology.

Google said it plans to build around 100 of its own in-house-designed cars for a pilot program this summer in California.

If all goes well, the company will look to expand the test, possibly partnering with a commercial car maker.