Nevada has actually thrown open the door to anyone interested in testing an autonomous vehicle on the state’s roads
Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has given Google the nation’s first license to test self-driving cars on public streets. The adolescent-aged Internet search giant has been working toward this goal for the past couple of years by holding test-driving demonstrations along freeways, state highways and neighborhoods both in Carson City and along the Las Vegas Strip.
Google’s contention has been that its autonomous auto would be safer than those driven by humans, offer more fuel-efficiency and promote economic development. The Nevada DMV’s Autonomous Review Committee seems to have bought into this argument and is issuing the Google’s self-driving Toyota Prius a distinctive license plate featuring an infinity symbol and the letters “AU” set against a red background. (Nevada license plates for old-fashioned flesh-and-blood drivers depict a mountainous scene in blue and white below a yellow-orange sky.)
via Scientific American – Larry Greenemeier