Autonomous Vehicles Face an Uphill Battle for Public Trust

Automakers and technology companies continue to push toward introduction of the first fleets of fully self-driving vehicles. But building trust in the robotic vehicles is proving just as important as getting the cars to navigate roadways without a human driver. Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Google's self-driving affiliate Waymo LLC and a number of other companies have spent billions and taken more than a decade to develop technology capable of hauling people or goods without a human in the driver's seat. GM plans to launch a fleet this year, Ford by 2021. Waymo started a small service in Phoenix late last year. Yet, GM ran into opposition to its petition to federal regulators for permission to put up to 5,000 driverless cars -- without steering wheels or control pedals -- on public roads.