Are futuristic self-driving cars already a thing of the past? Google stops development

Google has been developing its own self-driving autonomous car for the past few years, racking up several million testing miles. But before the car could even make it onto the roads for real, Google has already decided to stop development. Perhaps the company can find another use for its 53,000-square-foot self-driving development centre near Detroit.

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It’s not to say Google is stopping development of self-driving technologies, but The Information reports Google has decided to instead focus on collaborating with car manufacturers rather than its own model, with the intention of developing some self-driving modes but keeping the pedals and steering wheel.

Google already had an agreement in place with Fiat Chrysler, with several others expected to follow.

The company is allegedly hoping to introduce an autonomous taxi service before the end of 2017 as a rival to Uber, although it’s not clear exactly how this service would operate or indeed where it would be active. Google is holding a media event soon to talk about its self-driving car plans, so more details can be expected then.

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Google already has a sort-of Uber rival through its Waze navigation app, where you can either sign up to be a driver or a rider. Trips are limited to two per day and it’s currently only available in the Bay-area of San Francisco and Israel, where the service was first introduced.