Google to take its driverless cars fora spin this summer

One of Google's self-driving cars is on display in front of the Bankhead Theater in Livermore, Caliornia,

Jan. 28, 2014. Photo: Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group/MCT

Google is getting into the car business. The technology company is hoping its

new self-driving cars will turn drivers into passengers.

Google said on Tuesday that it plans to test about 200 of its own self-driving

cars.

“We’ve been working toward the goal of vehicles that can shoulder the entire

burden of driving,” Google wrote on its blog. “They will take you where you want

to go at the push of a button.”

Google's main goal is not to be a carmaker, like General Motors or Toyota.

Instead, it wants to develop self-driving technology. The company said that its

self-driving software will “improve road safety and help people who can’t drive.”

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 06.06.14

Word Count 619

Buckle Up For The Ride

The testing program will start later this summer. A handful of self-driving cars will

hit the roads around Google’s California offices. The test cars will have manual

controls. That way test drivers can take over if something goes wrong.

But Google plans to build most of the cars as fully self-driving. That means no

steering wheel, no gas or brake pedal.

Inside the car will be two seats with seat belts and space for belongings. There

will also be a screen showing where the car is going and buttons to start and

stop.

The cars were built with safety in mind. They have sensors that get rid of blind

spots and look in every direction for more than 200 yards. The top speed of the

first cars will be only 25 miles per hour (mph).

Smart Technology Behind The Wheel

“We’re going to learn a lot from this experience," Google said. "If the technology

develops as we hope, we’ll work with partners to bring this technology into the

world safely.”

The small electric cars were built in Michigan. Google used parts from suppliers

to major car brands. The electronics and software to control them were

assembled in Silicon Valley.

Many of the largest automakers will probably now work faster on their own self-

driving cars. These big car companies are also likely to be working on their own

software. But smaller brands like Subaru or Jaguar/Land Rover could look to

use Google’s software for their cars.

Change may happen faster than people think. Many automakers expect they will

have fully self-driving cars on the road by 2020. By 2025, as many as 230,000 of

these self-drivers could be sold each year around the world. And that number

could rise to 11.8 million 10 years later, a study found.

Laws Are Not Quite Caught Up Yet

There could also be fewer accidents as self-driving cars become more

common. That's because most of today’s crashes are caused by people making

mistakes, the study found.

In addition, Google’s cars could help people who can't drive because of their

age, disability or lack of money. Cities could have self-driving car-share

programs. Users could take the cars when they need them for short trips around

town.

But there are two key hurdles for self-driving cars: cost and laws.

Self-driving cars could at first cost thousands of dollars more than traditional

cars.

And U.S. laws have a lot of catching up to do. Currently only four states allow

self-driving vehicles on public roads: California, Nevada, Michigan and Florida.

In those states, a licensed, sober driver must be in the driver’s seat at all times.

That driver has to be ready and willing to take control of the car.

Google’s own car hopes to help the laws catch up to the technology.

“Just imagine: You can take a trip downtown at lunchtime without a 20-minute

buffer to find parking,” Google’s blog said. “Seniors can keep their freedom

even if they can’t keep their car keys. And drunk and distracted driving?

History.”

Quiz

1 Select the paragraph from the section "Smart Technology Behind The Wheel" that

BEST summarizes the article.

2 Read the section "Laws Are Not Quite Caught Up Yet." Which of the following

sentences is MOST relevant to the main idea of the article?

(A) The laws of four states in the U.S. allow self-driving cars on roads.

(B) Majority of the accidents nowadays are caused by human error.

(C) Google expects new laws that meet today's technology standards.

(D) Self-driving cars will also help avoid drunk and distracted driving.

3 How is Google different from other large automakers?

(A) Google does not want to compete with large automakers.

(B) Unlike other self-driving cars, Google's car will be very expensive.

(C) Google only wants to provide the self-driving technology rather

than making cars.

(D) Unlike other self-driving cars, Google's car does not have steering

wheel or brakes.

4 According to the article, why is today's law not suitable for Google's self-driving

cars?

(A) because the law does not allow self-driving cars that do not require

drivers

(B) because the law does not allow underage or disabled people to

drive cars

(C) because the safety standards of a self-driving cars are yet to be

tested

(D) because self-driving cars are legal only in four states in the U.S.

Answer Key

1 Select the paragraph from the section "Smart Technology Behind The Wheel" that

BEST summarizes the article.

Paragraph 11:

Change may happen faster than people think. Many automakers expect

they will have fully self-driving cars on the road by 2020. By 2025, as

many as 230,000 of these self-drivers could be sold each year around

the world. And that number could rise to 11.8 million 10 years later, a

study found.

2 Read the section "Laws Are Not Quite Caught Up Yet." Which of the following

sentences is MOST relevant to the main idea of the article?

(A) The laws of four states in the U.S. allow self-driving cars on roads.

(B) Majority of the accidents nowadays are caused by human error.

(C) Google expects new laws that meet today's technology

standards.

(D) Self-driving cars will also help avoid drunk and distracted driving.

3 How is Google different from other large automakers?

(A) Google does not want to compete with large automakers.

(B) Unlike other self-driving cars, Google's car will be very expensive.

(C) Google only wants to provide the self-driving technology rather

than making cars.

(D) Unlike other self-driving cars, Google's car does not have steering

wheel or brakes.

4 According to the article, why is today's law not suitable for Google's self-driving

cars?

(A) because the law does not allow self-driving cars that do not

require drivers

(B) because the law does not allow underage or disabled people to

drive cars

(C) because the safety standards of a self-driving cars are yet to be

tested

(D) because self-driving cars are legal only in four states in the U.S.