Driverless cars are not only Science Fiction!

We've seen James Bond with his driverless car.  Actually he controlled the car with a remote control.  But these "driverless cars" are much more.  You might be able to send your car to pick up your kids from school, while you are at work,  you might be able to sit in the passenger seat and get some last minute work done while the car takes you to work, you might even be able to take a nap in the back seat while your car drives you to your vacation!  The possibilities are endless. What can a driverless car do now? 

Read this article and then discuss it with your English teacher. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2014/06/23/startup-driverless-car-sensors-google/

Key terms:

footwell.

caveat

highway autopilot

bumper-to-bumper

decommissioned naval base

testing and qualifications

working prototypes

what’s driving him

serial entrepreneur

nimble
trunk

Questions:

What is the main reason that people would want a driverless car?
What realistically can  this driverless car really do? 
Do you think that $10,000 is a good price for the sensor? 
Which car model can this work on? 
Why is that a problem?
How many units is Cruise company going to take orders for? 
What is the difference between this system and a cruise control system?  
What are the similarities?
How long does it take to work with a car manufacturer? 
Why is this a problem? 
Would you use this system in bumper to bumper traffic? 
How long is Cruise going to test the system? 
Is this enough time?  
Would you want to buy one of these systems to put in your car?  
Why or why not?  
What advantageous does it have over a regular car?   
Would you buy this type of car if you got a discount from your insurance company? 


Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach Professional English teacher