Nevada loses its lead in driverless car arena
By Jason Hidalgo and Seth A. Richardson, Reno Gazette-Journal
On a sunny July day in Carson City about six years ago, Gov. Brian Sandoval literally found himself in the driver’s seat of a hot, new technology.
Sandoval’s turn at the wheel of the Toyota Prius hybrid car, however, was mostly symbolic. Thanks to modifications that included a laser sensor married to an array of cameras, radars and other gizmos, Google’s robot car did most of the driving for him. The automotive exercise in Nevada’s capital would make Sandoval the first governor to test an autonomous Google car. It also served to drive a key point across for the state.
Fast forward to today, and the Silver State finds itself playing catch up to other states in the field. As places such as Texas, Michigan and Florida jostle toward the front of the pack, Nevada is now working to tune up its laws for driverless cars.
