Nevada Gives Audi Permit to Test Auto-Pilot Vehicles on Public Roads

Monday, January 7th, VW’s Audi announced it is the first car maker which received the approval to bring self-driving vehicles on the public roads.

Audi of America is the second company after search engine giant Google and the first automaker to receive the license from the Nevada state to test Audi piloted driving. The announcement was made yesterday at the 2013 International CES electronics show, where the automaker presented a self-parking feature. It’s been years since Audi began working on autonomous driving research.

“Audi envisions motorists enjoying the convenience of allowing the car to handle mundane stop-and-go driving conditions, for example, while still being able to take control of the car when needed,” the company said. “In this way, the technology is similar to auto-pilot systems found on jetliners.”

Although the company believes the autonomous parking will allow future Audi vehicles park safely even in tight parking spaces without a driver, it can’t imagine the time when cars will be self-driven and drivers won’t have to pay attention anymore. The driver must be able to take control of the vehicle when needed, exactly as in auto-pilot systems found on jetlines.