VIDEO: Google reveals driverless car with no steering wheel or brakes

First of 100 test vehicles is unveiled with no steering wheel or pedals, two seats and a top speed of 25mph.

By Dave Lancaster |

17:11 28 May 2014

Google has revealed its new breed of automobile and gone are many of the traditional components: a driver, a steering wheel and even brakes. 

 

The company will build 100 vehicles. They contain two seats, a screen to display the route and also a multitude of sensors that allow the car to 'see' hundreds of metres into the distance. The top speed will be 25mph. 

 

While the initial 100 would have dual controls so that the driver can take charge, the aim is to strip out human interaction altogether. 

 

Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project, calling the development "an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people".

 

Despite some of the common concerns surrounding driverless cars, the aim of the project is to actually improve road safety. 

 

Urmston told the New York Times that it was safer to remove traditional controls altogether after they tested the 'unpredictable' nature of humans suddenly taking over. He said: “We saw stuff that made us a little nervous."