Ford in talks with Google to build self-driving cars

A Google self-driving vehicle drives around the parking lot at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, in this file photo taken on May 13, 2014.

Google likely to make its self-driving cars unit, which will offer rides for hire, a stand-alone business under its parent company, Alphabet Inc, next year

Google is said to be in talks with automaker Ford Motor Co to help build the Internet search company’s autonomous cars, Automotive News reported, citing a person with knowledge of the project.

The contract manufacturing deal, if finalised, is expected to come during the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas during the first week of January, Automotive News said. (http://bit.ly/1MsCGQ3)

Declines comment on speculation

A Google spokesman told Automotive News that the company would not comment on speculation, although Google officials confirmed that the company was talking to automakers.

Earlier this year, Google began discussions with most of the world’s top automakers and assembled a team of traditional and non-traditional suppliers to speed efforts to bring self-driving cars to the market by 2020.

In June, Google began testing tiny, bubble-shaped self-driving prototype vehicles of its own design on public roads around Mountain View. The company has also started testing self-driving prototypes in Austin.

Seeks to make it a stand-alone business

“Google is expected to make its self-driving cars unit, which will offer rides for hire, a stand-alone business under its parent company, Alphabet Inc, next year,” Bloomberg reported earlier.

Ford, although lagging behind most competitors, ramped up its pace to develop self-driving cars earlier this year and said it would expand advanced safety technology, including automatic-braking, enabling hands-free operation of cars under certain conditions by automating such basic functions as steering, braking and throttle.

This was to be included across its global line-up over the next five years.

Reuters could not independently reach Ford Motor and Google for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.

Comments

8 Foods That Prevent Cancer

1. Cauliflower Image source: Simply Scratch Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, a compound that has been shown to have anti-cancer effects. Sulforaphane are released when cauliflower is broken down, so focus on chewing it before swallowing. This compound seeks and destroys certain cancer cells without harming your healthy cells. There are plenty of recipes available online on how you can add cauliflower to your meals. Cauliflower and broccoli have similar effects, so add broccoli to your list of foods too. 2. Carrots Image source: http://eatbelive.com/ Even though carrots are mainly thought to be good for one’s eye sight, researches from the last ten years suggest that they are also good against some types of cancer, one of which is prostate cancer. A study was done on mice who were fed an increased carrot intake, and the study showed that carrots could stop the growth of prostate cancer. Carrot have many other health benefi...

The first stethoscope

René Laennec, a French doctor and inventor was born 235 years ago today, and Google has marked his birthday with a Doodle. Dr Laennec's importance to modern medicine was guaranteed by his invention of the very first stethoscope in 1816. Here are five things you (probably) didn't know about him : 1. Dr Laennec's stethoscope bears little semblance to the modern stethoscope. Unlike those used today, Dr Laennec's stethoscope was not a set of ear pieces connected by a plastic tube to a chest piece. His stethoscopes were simple cylinders made from wood and metal. The doctor using it would simply place it directly over the area in question and listen at the other end. 2. His first stethoscope was a rolled up piece of paper Described in his 1819 treatise on this device, Dr Laennec invented the stethoscope while treating a young woman suffering from symptoms of heart disease. 3. The stethoscope was not his only contribution to medical science I...

Lenovo Vibe K4 Note First Impressions

Lenovo has kicked off 2016 with the new Vibe K4 Note smartphone. Those familiar with Lenovo's Note series might get puzzled with the addition of the Vibe moniker to the name, especially given the success of Lenovo K3 Note last year. Head of Product and Marketing at Lenovo Smartphones in India, Anuj Sharma, clarified that the new K4 Note has been integrated with the Vibe series of smartphones. While we are not sure if this has anything to do with the rumours that Lenovo may discontinue its Vibe range to prevent cannibalisation of Motorola sales, Sharma yet again asserted "Vibe" range is not going anywhere . Lenovo at the Delhi launch event on Tuesday also showed some statistics to show how popular the Lenovo K3 Note really is in the country. The handset was the third most searched phone in 2015, based on Google's release data for India , and the company had sold around 1.2 million units. W...

jaDuGai

Search This Blog