14 DAY TRIAL // Google's self-driving car program has gotten a boost as it's now allowed to test cars in Nevada, a state neighboring Google's home state of California. Legislation allowing these kinds of tests to be performed on public roads was passed a couple of months ago there and, now, Google becomes the first company take advantage of the new laws.
The state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has issued the first license plate for self-driving cars to a Google-owned Toyota Prius, now sporting the (supposedly) coveted 001 license plate number placed next to the infinity symbol which stands for "car of the future."
The license plates of autonomous cars that will be sold to the public, eventually, will have a green background, these test cars have a red background.
"After drive testing demonstrations along freeways, state highways and neighborhoods both in Carson City and the busy Las Vegas Strip, the department’s Autonomous Review Committee met to review Google’s safety plans, employee training, system functions and accident reporting mechanisms," the Neveda DMV said.
"The committee approved the application and is now creating the state’s first autonomous testing business license and license plates for the international company," it said.
Companies that want these licenses have to demonstrate that the technology and the people operating the cars meet certain safety standards. The DMV has said that, while Google is first, other companies have expressed interest in registering to test cars there.
Google wants to register three cars in the state. It is already testing several vehicles in California, most of them Toyota Prius hybrids, but also an Audi TT, which has served as a prototype early in the project, and more recently a Lexus RX450h, also a hybrid.
The technology is still experimental, but Google is said to be talking with car makers regarding a potential partnership or a licensing deal.