Google develops prototype cars for autonomous driving

In a promotional video, Google showed off one of the prototypes, a two-seat vehicle that resembled a gondola on wheels.

It has no steering wheel, accelerator pedal or brake pedal. Instead, the car relies on its own sensors and software to do the work.

The company pioneered the idea of self-driving cars, and up to now equipping existing vehicles with technology it developed, they argued that the technology can reduce accidents, road injuries and deaths.

Google said it has capped the speed of its first prototype at 25 miles an hour.

Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project said: "We're planning to build about a hundred prototype vehicles, and later this summer, our safety drivers will start testing early versions of these vehicles that have manual controls."

It is said, if the idea takes on a good progress, they might want to run a pilot programme in California in the next couple of years.