Google has found a new state to test its self-driving cars, one that hasn t established strict rules about how they must operate.
Texas is now home to two self-driving Google vehicles that will be testing themselves on the roads of Austin, the state capital and tech hub.
The last time Google showcased a self-driving car in Austin in 2013, the Texas Tribune reported that Google did not seek permission from state or city officials — and didn t have to because there are no laws governing the technology.
This time, the vehicles — Lexus SUVs equipped with self-driving software — plan to stay for a while.
It s important for us to get experience testing our software in different driving environments, traffic patterns and road conditions —- so we re ready to take on Austin s pedicabs, pickup trucks, and everything in between, Google said in a blog statement.
They also have the blessing of top Texan and Austin leaders. The Austin American-Statesman reported that Google met in advance with the office of Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Transportation, whose director called Google s technology mature and ready to be tested.
That informal blessing is a contrast from California, where the Department of Motor Vehicles published detailed rules last year for the testing of self-driving cars and is now working on even more detailed rules for their future consumer use. Google, of course, was testing its self-driving cars in California well before Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law allowing them in 2012.
However, Google appears to be following some of the same internal safety policies it follows in California, such as having two employees in the vehicle during tests on public streets, one a safety driver who can take control of the wheel if needed. What s not clear is whether it has to report each accident on Austin streets to the Texas DMV, as it does to the California DMV.
Above: Google s self-driving Lexus in Mountain View in 2014 (Photo courtesy Google)
