In a world of the automated and the convenient, it was just a matter of time until self-driving cars start to become a more expansive technology. And what better way for this to happen than for Google to turn to the business of automated, driver-less cars.
The new move by the search engine company has been to assign a president for self-driving car business. John Krafcik has been named the new CEO, with Chris Urmson, formerly the head of the self-driving car technology now spearheading the development of the autonomous vehicles, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Krafcik has a background as a mechanical engineer and a business degree holder. He had previously been with Ford Motor Co. for over 10 years, and Hyundai Motor Co. before landing the CEO position in Google's self-driving car business.
"We're feeling good about our progress, so now we're investing in building out a team that can help us bring this technology to its full potential," said a Google spokesperson to the publication.
Google is not the only business that is looking towards the bright future of self-driving cars. Uber, a major transportation network company, has also stated its plans to slowly transition into self-driving cars.
While Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has hinted that part of Uber's plans for expansion would be to tap into self-driving cars for the company, he did not specify how this will play out in the future. He did, however, state that if since there is opportunity to expand and even be a leader in embracing the technology of driverless cars, Uber will help transition into this kind of technology, The Guardian reported.
Kalanick cited the benefits of driverless cars, including lessened car congestion, improvement in everyday traffic and less pollution. Uber's ambition has yet to take shape, though tapping into driverless car service appears to be only one of its goals. Uber is aiming to experiment with other services including making modifications to its Uber Pool service and introducing Uber Eat and an Uber helicopter service.