Google is putting its self-driving car technology into a new company which it will call Waymo, the firm has announced. Waymo will be owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
At a media event, the company showed the story of a blind man who was able to make a full trip using a prototype self-driving car. The trip happened in 2015, but the company spoke about it for the first time on Tuesday.
"Steve Mahan rode alone in our prototype vehicles, cruising through Austin’s suburbs,” wrote Google’s John Krafcik. "Steve is legally blind, so our sensors and software were his chauffeur."
Speaking about the formation of the new company, Mr Krafcik said: "We believe that this technology can begin to reshape some of the ten trillion miles that motor vehicles travel around the world every year, with safer, more efficient and more accessible forms of transport."
Mr Krafcik will become Waymo’s chief executive.
The company said it will try to apply the technology behind self-driving vehicles to other purposes.
While other companies, most notably electric car maker Tesla, have managed to roll out elements of self-driving technology to real roads, Google has been taking a far more cautious approach.
The Waymo’s announcement could suggest that Google will deviate from its original goal of only offering 100% self-driving vehicles.
The company did not respond to reports that it was abandoning making its own car in favour of working with other, perhaps more established, carmakers.