Google's Finally Offering Rides in Its Self-Driving Minivans

After spending nearly a decade quetly working on self-driving cars, Google finally wants to take people for a ride. Its autonomous spin-off, Waymo plans to add 500 Chrysler Pacifica minivans to the 100 already roaming the roads of Phoenix, and inviteds locals to sign up for free rides to school, work, soccer practice, or anywhere else they need to go. Waymo almost certainly possesses the most sophisticated autonomous technology in this increasingly crowded field. After three million miles on the road, its cars can drive thousands of miles without human intervention. But delivering the technology to consumers requires more than developing the right algorithms and hardware.