As per Wolfgang Bernhard, a member of the executive Board of Directors of the German car manufacturer Daimler, you are likely to see self-driven trucks plying on the road as early as this year.
"We are positive that we will get approval for tests on German motorways within the next weeks. Then we will start immediately,” Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung quoted him as saying.
The first semi-autonomous trucks are likely to be seen in Daimler’s home state Baden-Wuerttemberg. Full-fledged production is just 2 to 3 years away.
"We are leaders in this technology and will stand up for ourselves," said Bernhard while acknowledging that Google and other companies were trying to position themselves in the promising business of autonomous driving.
Irrespective of Google’s moves, Daimler is not scared of these big companies trying to poach its executives. "That is a clear sign of recognition if Apple decides that your business - cars - are so important to them that they want to be part of it."
On its part, Google has begun testing self-driven cars in Austin Texas earlier this month. It would appear that Google is expanding its efforts and casting a wider net so as to capture more information on how these early prototypes will interact with traffic conditions, people as well as changing road conditions.
Automotive manufacturers, suppliers and technology groups have said that the technology to build self-driven cars is just around the corner: by 2020 the market for autonomous vehicles will see a steady rise.
Source: Reuters.com
"We are positive that we will get approval for tests on German motorways within the next weeks. Then we will start immediately,” Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung quoted him as saying.
The first semi-autonomous trucks are likely to be seen in Daimler’s home state Baden-Wuerttemberg. Full-fledged production is just 2 to 3 years away.
"We are leaders in this technology and will stand up for ourselves," said Bernhard while acknowledging that Google and other companies were trying to position themselves in the promising business of autonomous driving.
Irrespective of Google’s moves, Daimler is not scared of these big companies trying to poach its executives. "That is a clear sign of recognition if Apple decides that your business - cars - are so important to them that they want to be part of it."
On its part, Google has begun testing self-driven cars in Austin Texas earlier this month. It would appear that Google is expanding its efforts and casting a wider net so as to capture more information on how these early prototypes will interact with traffic conditions, people as well as changing road conditions.
Automotive manufacturers, suppliers and technology groups have said that the technology to build self-driven cars is just around the corner: by 2020 the market for autonomous vehicles will see a steady rise.
Source: Reuters.com