Are self-driving cars the future?

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler called for the early release of self-driving cars along some specially designated stretches of public roads on Friday, when he spoke at the Süddeutsche Zeitung's Economic Summit in Berlin.

He pointed out the positive experiences Audi had had in the United States, where German automaker Volkswagen has obtained permits to test-drive their vehicles anywhere in California.

"We are trying to test our self-driving vehicles there on public roads," Stadler said.

Earlier this year, Google had received much media attention with its latest driverless prototype, which has already logged hundreds of thousands of miles on US public roads. But Google's self-driving car had been criticized for its inability to park and to navigate challenging weather conditions, like snow and heavy rain.

In response, Audi released in October its own self-driving car nicknamed "Bobby," which lapped a Formula One track in about 2 minutes and 10 seconds - its top speed hitting 150 miles per hour (241 kilometers per hour).

Calling its system "piloted driving," the Ingolstadt, Germany-based company said it takes an evolutionary approach in its engineering, by drawing on existing technologies in cameras, lasers and sensors.

German carmakers Daimler and BMW are also developing self-driving cars, and applying for permits to test their vehicles on public roads.

el/nz (Reuters, Audi)