Google's Self-Driving Cars To Hit Roads, With Steering Wheels

[Ron Burgundy]

By Paul Lienert DETROIT (Reuters) - Google Inc will begin testing self-driving cars of its own design on public roads this summer, but they will have steering wheels and brakes, which is not what the company described a year ago. Engineers will operate 25 prototype vehicles, which use the same software as Google's self-driving Lexus RX450h sport utility vehicles that have been in operation for several years, the company said on Friday. When the Internet search company announced a year ago that it planned to build a fleet of self-driving cars, project director Chris Urmson said the prototypes "won't have a steering wheel, accelerator pedal or brake pedal ... because they don't need them." It turns out, however, that the prototypes will need those critical control devices after all because California requires that self-driving vehicles have manual controls during testing. Built in Detroit by auto supplier Roush Industries, the prototypes will be equipped with removable steering wheels, brake pedals and accelerator pedals so test engineers can "take over driving if needed," Urmson said in a blog post on Friday.

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