Welcome to the Self Driving Car Site!
This site is for people interested in self driving cars, also called autonomous vehicles. If you want to know more about a self driving car, learn about which car manufactures and startups are developing new technologies, if you would like to buy a self driving car, or want to exchange your experiences with other users on our forum, you came to the right site !
Self-driving cars are ‘hot’ and frequently featured in the news. You may see a self driving car driving around in your neighborhood as several manufactures are testing their autonomous vehicles in real life conditions. You may even drive a car with semi-autonomous software features, like a Tesla. Next to traditional car manufactures also electronics and software companies, like Apple and Google are stepping into this field. Self-driving cars are exciting to many and possible scary to some people as well. We try to cover it all, and like to hear from you on our Forum or via email.
Our blog provides periodic updates on everything related to a self driving car: news on car manufacturers, first-hand user experiences, and new regulations and policies, we cover it all. Our FAQ provides a quick overview for people new to self-driving cars, just a quick outline on the basic terms and definitions. We love our visitors and welcome your feedback and suggestions. Use our Contact Us page to tell us what you like or what we can improve on, or visit our Forum and exchange ideas with others.
Check out some fun self driving car experiences!:
Self driving car development
Contrary to what many may believe, the development of driverless cars started a long time ago. In the 1920’s a Chandler was radio controlled and driving in the streets of New York. In 1991 a bill was passed that resulted in the creation of the National Automated Highway System Consortium (NAHSC), a consortium of companies and universities that developed around 20 different vehicles that were showcased on the I-15 near San Diego.
The US Government funded three military efforts, which demonstrated the ability of unmanned ground vehicles to navigate miles of difficult off-road terrain, avoiding obstacles such as rocks and trees. In the first Grand Challenge held in March of 2004, the department of Defense offered a $1 million prize to any team of robotic engineers which could create an autonomous car capable of finishing a 150-mile course in the Mojave Desert. No team was successful in completing the course.
Google began developing its self-driving cars in 2009, but did not announce it publicly until a later time. Nowadays, many automotive manufacturers, including General Motors, Ford, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan, Toyota, BMW, and Volvo, are testing self-driving car systems. BMW has been testing self-driving systems since around 2005 and in 2011 GM created an autonomous electric urban vehicle. During 2012, Volkswagen began testing a “Temporary Auto Pilot” (TAP) system that allows a car to drive itself at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour, while Ford has conducted extensive research into driverless systems and vehicular communication systems.