Next step in driverless cars: Boot the driver

Toyota took the wraps off a new self-driving transportation concept at CES, and it can be anything from a pizza delivery van to a camper for your next vacation. LAS VEGAS – Auto and tech companies are racing to get human drivers completely out of their self-driving cars, perhaps as soon as this year. Numerous companies have been testing small fleets of autonomous vehicles on highways and city streets, yet, to date, nearly all of these vehicles have had test drivers or engineers inside, ready to take over should the unexpected happen. One of the hottest discussion topics at this week's CES conference -- formerly called the Consumer Electronics Show -- is when companies expect to boot their so-called safety drivers out of their autonomous vehicles. A Toyota executive explained how the Japanese automaker is aiming to demonstrate a true self-driving vehicle -- one without a human babysitter -- in time for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.