Google is expanding its self-driving car project to a town called Kirkland, in Washington, where the temperate climate with seasonal rain will allow the company to test its driverless vehicles in a wetter environment. The move comes as Waymo prepares for an expected lawsuit from Uber over alleged theft of trade secrets and other intellectual property related to Uber’s autonomous vehicle technology. The company has tested more than 1.4 million miles of autonomous driving since 2009 and its sensors can now detect hundreds of distinct objects simultaneously in a small area, like moving pedestrians, buses, cyclists, or a stop sign held up by a crossing guard. Google plans to introduce self-driving cars to the public by 2020, however the company is obliged to test the cars in different weather and traffic conditions, and across various terrains, before it can deploy the cars for widespread public use.
Google is expanding its self-driving car project to a town called Kirkland, in Washington, where the temperate climate with seasonal rain will allow the company to test its driverless vehicles in a wetter environment. The move comes as Waymo prepares for an expected lawsuit from Uber over alleged theft of trade secrets and other intellectual property related to Uber’s autonomous vehicle technology. Google plans to introduce self-driving cars to the public by 2020, however the company is obliged to test the cars in different weather and traffic conditions, and across various terrains, before it can deploy the cars for widespread public use.