Google's Driverless Cars Could Spell Disaster For True Petrolheads

Google has been keen on the idea of developing driverless cars for a while now, most of which have been tested using adapted Toyota Prii. Now though, the Internet giant’s project has stepped up a notch, as its unveiled this: an entirely new autonomous car prototype.

This dinky - and slightly cartoonish - electric car has two seats and no driver controls, aside from a start and stop button. Everything else is controlled by the car; you get in, punch in your destination and let the car do the work. The car is festooned in sensors that enables it to detect objects hundreds of metres in every direction, and the top speed is currently capped at 25mph.

All sounds a bit scary, particularly for us car fans who actually enjoy driving. But Google makes the very good point that the likes of drunk and distracted driving - and the often catastrophic accidents that result - would be history, should all cars be autonomous. Given that we share roads with an increasing amount of idiots who think that driving selfies are a good idea, maybe taking away the task of driving for some wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Google plans to build around 100 of these prototypes. Unlike the initial prototype seen here, these will include manual controls to comply with California’s autonomous vehicle laws, allowing testing on the road.

So, what do you think about the prospect of autonomous cars? The idea of a system taking care of the most boring aspects of driving - trundling through traffic, long motorway journeys and so on - is an appealing one, but it’d be devastating if all driving became a thing of the past, regardless of the safety benefits. Let us know your views.