A self-driving car is gearing up for a 3,500-mile cross-country road trip from San Francisco to New York that begins next week . A person will always be behind the wheel of the autonomous car , developed by Delphi Automotive , in order to take control if there is a situation the vehicle can not handle on its own . The car will begin its journey on March 22 so that it can reach New York in time for the International Auto Show . Scroll down for video . A self-driving car developed by Delphi Automotive is preparing for a 3,500-mile cross-country road trip next week that will take it from San Francisco to New York . Delphi , a major Michigan-based auto supplier , is planning for the car to drive eight hours a day for eight days . The autonomous vehicle will mainly stick to the highways , where it will be able to pass slower cars and maintain a safe distance from other automobiles all on its own . Delphi CTO Jeff Owens told WIRED the road trip will be the 'ultimate test ' for the vehicle , as it will be exposed to a 'range of driving conditions ' as well as various types of weather . It 's design is based on a 2014 Audi SQ5 . According to Delphi officials , the road trip will be the longest automated drive ever attempted in North America . In 2010 an autonomous van created by Italian company VisLab completed an 8,000-mile journey from Europe to Shanghai for three months . Unlike Google 's driverless car ( pictured ) , Dephi 's vehicle senors are tucked in the car 's front , rear and sides and thus can not be seen . Although it will be the Delphi car 's longest journey , it wo n't be its first . The Delphi vehicle has driven around the company 's Silicon Valley office and has already completed a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles . But the car really earned its stripes when , during a demonstration at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in January , it braked by itself as two drunk men stumbled into the street in front of it . Delphi says the vehicle is capable of making complex decisions , like stopping and then proceeding at a four-way stop , merging onto the highway or maneuvering around a bicyclist or a trash can . When the car wants the driver to resume control , it uses a verbal warning and flashes lights on the dashboard . Although most experts say a true driverless vehicle is at least a decade away , Delphi 's autonomous automobile is helping the technology look more like a regular car . Unlike other driverless cars developed by Google and Honda , the lidar sensors on Dephi 's vehicle are tucked in the car 's front , rear and sides and thus can not be seen . The car also has cameras throughout , including one that watches the driver . Because lidar systems can cost around $ 70,000 apiece , they drive up the price of the autonomous prototypes . But Delphi engineer Doug Welk said one of the reasons for the road trip is to help decide what combination of sensors is best suited for the car , which will ultimately help lower costs . Delphi estimates it will cost around $ 5,000 to make a vehicle almost fully autonomous by 2019 . Delphi CTO Jeff Owens said the road trip would be the 'ultimate test ' for the autonomous vehicle , as it would be exposed to a 'range of driving conditions ' as well as various types of weather .
The Delphi Automotive car will drive eight hours a day for eight days . There will be a driver behind the wheel in case there is a situation car can not handle on its own . Delphi said trip will be 'ultimate test ' , as car will be exposed to a range of driving conditions and weather changes . Car will mainly stick to highways , where it will be able to pass slower cars and maintain a safe distance behind other automobiles all on its own .