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Jeff Causey
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Google has announced another new move in their slow march to bringing driver-less cars to the general public. Following news about a recent visit by Google X’s Sarah Hunter to the California Public Utilities Commission to update them on the project, Google has appointed John Krafcik as the CEO of the self-driving car project.
Krafcik will be moving to Google from his position as president of TrueCar, an online auto sales company. Krafcik has a background as a mechanical engineer and has worked in the past with both Ford and Hyundai.
A statement from Google notes:
“We’re feeling good about our progress, so now we’re investing in building out a team that can help us bring this technology to its full potential. John’s combination of technical expertise and auto-industry experience will be particularly valuable as we collaborate with many different partners to achieve our goal.”
Krafcik is scheduled to start with Google later this month. Chris Urmson, who was leading the project, will take over the lead role on the technical development side.
Google has not announced plans yet to spin off the project into its own company, but that seems like an imminent move as the concept continues to gain momentum.
source: CNET
image via: Reuters
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