Unveiling a car with a top speed of 25mph, two seats and no pedals or steering wheel might not make much of an impression at a motor show. But Google, in the US, sent a minor earthquake through the car and taxi industries as it unveiled the latest version of its driverless car. The electrically powered vehicle, which Google has begun testing around its headquarters in Mountain View, California, dispenses with all the normal controls, including foot pedals. Instead, it has a smartphone app that summons it and tells it the destination, and a single STOP button mounted between the two front-facing seats in case the occupants need to override the computer. The car, in fact, takes over all the tasks of navigation, steering, acceleration and braking. The company is building about 100 prototypes for a two-year test. The company’s co-founder, Sergey Brin, told a conference in California that the vehicle was “still in the prototype stage” but that the project was “about changing the world for people who are not well served by transportation today ”. He said of the car: “You’re just sitting there; no steering wheel, no pedals. For me, it was very relaxing. About ten seconds after getting in, I forgot I was there. It reminded me of catching a chairlift by yourself – a bit of solitude I found really enjoyable.” Google says that the principal aim of the project is