Google's next phase in driverless cars: No brakes or steering wheels

Google couldn't quite pull off a self-driving car that a person could control if needed, so they jettisoned human interaction altogether.
 
The result: electric vehicles that can be summoned through a smart phone app, take passengers to a programmed location and then be sent on their way. Think driverless cabs. The New York Times reports the first fleet should be road ready by next year.
 
Driverless vehicles could transform relationships with cars altogether. Summoning and dismissing a ride with an app could negate the need to own a car at all. Imagine no more car payments, insurance premiums or paying for gas.

Read more from the New York Times.