WELL, GOOD: Alphabet’s self-driving car may keep the steering wheel after all.
Google’s parent company does not yet have the courage to build a car with no steering wheel or pedals, preferring to put its self-driving technology into existing cars from traditional auto manufacturers.
Thats the conclusion of news site The Information in a report published Monday citing people close to Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle project.
The technology is moving closer to market, and the company no longer considers it a “moonshot,” the head of its “X” research lab Astro Teller told The Wall Street Journal in October.
It’s over a year since it appointed former head of Hyundai U.S. John Krafcik to oversee its autonomous driving activities, which it began accounting for as a separate business on Jan. 1.
But now, The Information said, the company is moving away from plans to build and sell cars itself, preferring to partner with existing auto manufacturers to put its technology in their cars alongside traditional driver controls.
I don’t care who builds it or how intelligent the automation is — it’s going to be a long time before I get into a car with no steering wheel.