【1】
Google is miles ahead of its rivals in the race for autonomous motoring.
谷歌在无人驾驶领域研发的竞赛中遥遥领先于竞争对手。
【2】
TO Google is now in broad usage as a verb for retrieving information from the internet. If the tech giant has its way, “I Googled” will become a standard reply to the question, “How did you get here?” On May 28th Google said it would build 100 prototype driverless cars devoid of pedals, steering wheel or controls save an on/off switch. It is the next stage in its apparent quest to be as ubiquitous on the road as on computer screens.
“谷歌”如今被广泛用作动词，用于从互联网检索信息。如果这一科技巨头自行其道，对于“你是怎么来的?”这种问题，标准答案将会是“我谷歌来的”。5月28日，谷歌表示，其将制造100辆无人驾驶的原型车，它们没有踏板、没有方向盘、没有控制装置，只保留一个开关键。显然谷歌下一阶段的追求，就是实现在路上就像在电脑屏幕上一样让“谷歌”无处不在。
【3】
People have dreamed about driverless motoring since at least the 1930s, but only in recent years have carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Volvo given the matter more thought, kitting out test cars with the sensors and sophisticated software required to negotiate busy roads. Google has roared ahead by designing a driverless car from the ground up.
至少从19世纪30年代起，人们就已经开始设想无人驾驶汽车，但只有一些如奔驰、沃尔沃等汽车制造商，在近些年来才尝试这一设想。而装备着传感器和复杂软件的测试车，需要在繁忙的道路上去判断最佳的行车方案。谷歌公司设计无人驾驶汽车从零起步，但已经出类拔萃。
【4】
But bringing autonomous motoring to the world is proving harder than Google had envisaged. It once promised it by 2017. Now it does not see production models coming out before 2020. The technology is far advanced, but needs shrinking in size and cost—Google's current test cars, retrofitted Toyota and Lexus models, are said to be packed with $80,000-worth of equipment.
但是现实证明，无人驾驶汽车的面世比谷歌预想的要困难的多。谷歌曾承诺2017年就能面世，现在，预计产品模型不会在2020年前制造出来。谷歌的技术十分超前，但仍需缩减车型的大小和成本，现在的谷歌测试车是改装自丰田和雷克萨斯的车型，据说车里塞满了价值8万美元的装备。
【5】
Google's latest efforts may have as much to do with convincing the public and lawmakers as refining the technology. The firm stresses the safety advantages of computers being more likely than humans to avoid accidents. The cars will have a top speed of just 25mph and a front end made of soft foam to cushion unwary pedestrians. The benefits could indeed be huge. Driving time could be given over to working, snoozing or browsing the web. Rather than suffer all the costs of owning a car, some people may prefer to summon a rented one on their smartphones whenever they need it. However, the issue of liability in the event of a driverless car crashing has yet to be resolved.
不仅要完善技术，谷歌最近还要同样努力地说服公众和立法者，强调无人驾驶车的安全性优势，即电脑比人类更容易避免车祸。测试车的最高时速仅为25英里，其前端由软泡沫材料制成，以缓冲粗心的行人。无人驾驶的好处的确是巨大的，开车的时间可以用于工作、打盹或浏览网页。比起自己承担一辆车的所有开销，一些人可能更喜欢在需要车的时候，用智能手机叫辆出租车。然而，无人驾驶车在发生事故时的责任问题还有待解决。
【6】
Turning cars into commodities may not be good news for traditional carmakers. But reinventing motoring as a service fits neatly with Google's plans to become as big in hardware as in software. And unlike car firms, which talk vaguely of becoming “mobility providers”, Google has pots of cash to make that a reality and no worries about disrupting its current business. Google admits it still has “lots of work to do”. But one day Googling to the shops may be a common activity.
对传统汽车制造商来说，把无人驾驶汽车转化成为商品可能不是什么好消息。但是把汽车转变成一种服务，正好契合了谷歌想在硬件领域和软件领域一样强大的计划。不同于普通汽车公司模糊表达着成为“移动供应商”的想法，谷歌拥有大量资金来实现其无人驾驶设想，而不用担心这一项目会扰乱公司目前的业务。谷歌承认这一项目还有“很多工作要做”，但总有一天，乘坐谷歌无人驾驶车去商店购物也许是一个常见的活动。
