Google Building Self-Driving Cars With No Driver Seat, Steering Wheels

[Ron Burgundy]

By Alexei Oreskovic RANCHO PALOS VERDES Calif. (Reuters) - Google Inc is building cars that don't have steering wheels, accelerator pedals or brake pedals, in an ambitious expansion of the Internet company's efforts to develop self-driving cars. The small electric cars, which seat two passengers, are currently prototypes that Google has been building through partnerships with automotive suppliers and manufacturers, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said at the Code conference in Southern California on Tuesday. Google aims to build up to 200 such cars in the near term and hopes the vehicles will be available in various cities within a couple of years, he said. Google has been testing self-driving cars since 2009, incorporating laser sensors and radars into standard automobiles such as the Prius from Toyota Motor Corp and sport-utility vehicles from Toyota luxury car division Lexus.

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