Preston-based UK Carline, a figurehead in the country’s vehicle leasing sector, has shared their thoughts on news that internet giant Google could roll out ‘friendly’ driverless cars within the next 12 months

Google has announced plans to begin production on its own range of driverless vehicles without controls, steering wheels or pedals.

The vision was outlined at a conference in California by Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, with a prototype of the vehicle being unveiled and taken for a test drive.

The car has a foam-like bumper, two seats and a ‘stop-go’ button. It’s been designed in the style of a small city car and will initially be restricted to a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour to maximise safety and prevent accidents.

Google has spent a number of years modifying regular cars to drive themselves, running numerous tests along the way, but they’re now ready to step up and build a driverless car from scratch.

100 test vehicles will be circulated to start with, beginning what many believe could be the gradual decline of traditional human-operated automobiles. 

Chris Urmson, the director of the self-driving project, said, “We’re really excited about this vehicle – it’s something that will allow us to really push the capabilities of self driving technology, and understand the limitations,” before adding that driverless cars are “an important step towards improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people.”

UK Carline, a car leasing company known to share their thoughts on industry news, believes that cars driven by humans will gradually be phased out.

A representative for the thriving business said, “Google is really pushing the boundaries with the introduction of this new car, providing us with a taste of the future.

“While the technology is still in its infancy, Google have recently shown their hand by buying out many of the world’s leading robotics companies. In much the same way as manual cars are slowly being replaced by automatics around the world, we can envision a future in which cars without drivers become more and more common place as the technology improves and the cost falls.

“We believe that car leasing companies like our own will be vital for driverless car manufacturers, as our great contract hire deals will make driving such cars an affordable option.”

UK Carline has one of the largest selections of vehicles for lease in the United Kingdom. They have thousands of car and van options available and are noted for providing fantastic prices on the worlds most sought after vehicles, from convertibles to family cars. Visit their website at http://ukcarline.com to start your search for an unbeatable contract hire deal.

For quotes contact Martin at UK Carline on 01995 641111 or info@ukcarline.com