Everybody wants to build self-driving cars

It’s an interesting notion. What if cars could drive themselves, leaving the occupants of the vehicle to do whatever they want to do in transit? The notion is turning into a furious race to get hands-free cars out there as everyone from automakers to Google is trying to get the technology road-ready.

There’s been plenty of talk about self-driving cars. Google is testing them in California and elsewhere, as many people know. Now, it seems more and more are aboard the train to autonomous vehicles.

Automakers at the Frankfurt auto show last week were on board. Mercedes-Benz unveiled a model that accelerates and brakes on its own, although it still need a human hand to guide the steering. Other carmakers working on self-driving cars mentioned in recent articles by the New York Times and Los Angeles Times include Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo. And as Dana Hull writes for SiliconBeat, a job listing by Tesla Motors shows it’s working on an autonomous electric vehicle.