One challenge is creating high-definition scans of the roads and surroundings before the cars can drive along them because they cannot gather and process enough information in real time. So far, there are high-detail maps of about 2,000 miles of California’s roads, but the state has more than 170,000 miles of public roads. Google says it is interested in licensing the technology to traditional vehicle manufacturers once it has refined it sufficiently. Members of the team had been working on the project even before joining Google, for more than a decade.
Why can’t the driverless cars currently drive on all roads?
Not all roads have been thoroughly scanned yet Even the best currently-possible road scans are not of high enough quality to make these cars safe Driverless cars are restricted by law to about 2,000 of California’s 170,000 miles of road Pushback from traditional car companies