Google may be planning to spin off its driverless car division into its own company under the Alphabet umbrella corporate. That’s the word, at least, from a new but still unconfirmed report, which says this move will happen sometime in 2016.
According to Bloomberg, which cites an anoymous source, it says that the business plans to offer rides for hire, similar to Uber, with these self-driving cars, in 2016:
Google’s autonomous vehicles have logged more than 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) on public roads, mostly around San Francisco and Austin, Texas, making these cities logical places for launching a service, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. The fleets – which would include a range of large and small vehicles — could be deployed first in confined areas like college campuses, military bases or corporate office parks, the person said.
A Google spokesperson officially declined to comment on Bloomberg’s story. However, the report notes that back in September, Google said that while it didn’t any immediate plans to spin off its cars division, it added that it was “a good candidate to become one at some point in the future.” If Google does indeed have these kind of plans in the works, it certainly makes sense and fits with the overall structural goal of the Alphabet umbrella company.
Source: Bloomberg