Google begins true self-driving car testing (GOOG, GOOGL)

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Google has taken a big step forward in its development of self-driving cars.

The tech giant has announced that it has begun hiring civilian drivers in Chandler, Arizona, to begin testing its self-driving cars, according to The Verge.

Google has been testing self-driving cars since 2009 with its own employees and engineers, but it is now expanding that testing to regular citizens.

These so-called "vehicle safety specialists" will pair up to drive Google's cars. One person will sit in the driver's seat to take control of the wheel in case of emergency, while the other will sit in the passenger's seat and take notes on the car's performance on a laptop.

The civilians will work in six-to-eight-hour shifts as they drive around Chandler, and they will earn $20 per hour. The drivers must have a clean driving record and be able to type 40 words per minute to earn the job.

Google said earlier this year it would run these tests in Chandler to see how the cars handle desert conditions.

But Google is not the only company doing this. Volvo said last month it would test 100 self-driving cars with Chinese civilians in, at first, pre-approved scenarios such as certain highway sections or test tracks.

These types of tests will provide automakers with early data on how much they trust self-driving cars and how they would act in them as both driver and passenger. This will also help the companies figure out how to earn drivers' trust and ensure that the cars are safe for frequent civilian operation.

John Greenough, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, has compiled a detailed report on self-driving cars that examines the major strides automakers and tech companies have made to overcome the barriers currently preventing fully autonomous cars from hitting the market. Further, the report examines global survey results showing where fully autonomous cars are highly desired.

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Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Three barriers have been preventing fully autonomous cars from hitting the road: 1) high technological component prices; 2) varying degrees of consumer trust in the technology; and 3) relatively nonexistent regulations. However, in the past six months, there have been many advances in overcoming these barriers.
• Technology has been improving as new market entrants find innovative ways to expand on existing fully autonomous car technology. As a result, the price of the components required for fully autonomous cars has been dropping.
• Consumer trust in fully autonomous vehicle technology has increased in the past two years.
• California became the first US state to propose regulations. California's regulations stipulate that a fully autonomous car must have a driver behind the wheel at all times, discouraging Google's and Uber's idea of a driverless taxi system.

In full, the report:

• Examines consumer trust in fully autonomous vehicles
• Identifies technological advancements that have been made in the industry
• Analyzes the cost of fully autonomous technology and identifies how cost is being reduced
• Explains the current regulations surrounding fully autonomous cars

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the emerging world of self-driving cars.