Google gets dirty

Apparently working in stealth via a Limited Liability company registered in the state of Delaware, Google has reportedly paid more than $38.7 million ($US29.1m) for a 490-hectare patch of dry Nevada desert.

Is it coincidence Google’s land outside Reno adjoins Tesla’s Gigafactory which is currently under construction and slated to produce lithium-ion batteries for the Model 3?

While Google has attempted to keep a lid on things and is yet to offer any public comment, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval was not so reticent and publically welcomed the technology giant to Reno.

Simultaneously, Google has been advancing development of its autonomous vehicle program. At about the same time the company was inking the deal in Reno, a permit arrived from the California Department of Motor Vehicles authorising public testing on California roads.

Google was one of 30 companies to receive a permit. Others include Subaru, Volkswagen, Ford, Apple, Honda, BMW and NVIDIA.

Google's autonomous car offshoot Waymo also confirmed today that is has ordered 500 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid people-movers to expand its fleet of self-driving cars.

It has also invited the public to use its vehicles via the Waymo website.

Speculation suggests Google intends to manufacture an autonomous vehicle in future and may even be considering using Tesla batteries for power. Google, as always, remains tight-lipped.

Others have been more vocal – and it's not just car companies either.

Tesla, Uber, Apple, Intel to auto drive

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was very talkative about his desire to develop electric-powered large heavy trucks, which potentially would be far quieter and less polluting than diesel-powered giants. Musk didn’t provide any insight into overcoming issues with very short driving range and fast battery recharging for big rigs with 15,000kg-plus loads.

Apple is working on its own self-driving car tech, with leaked documents confirming the company is making use of Logitech videogaming hardware, and ride-sharing taxi-killer Uber is also vying to autonomous car supremacy. The latter could essentially boost profits significantly by eliminating the need for a driver.

Technology giant Intel positively shook the silicon world when it purchased Mobileye for $19.95billion ($US15b). In what is reminiscent of the dot.com boom, it seems these days big money is sending big dollars to buy autonomous driving technology.

Given Mobileye’s very public relationship with Tesla, General Motors and BMW, it was a purchase many didn’t see coming. Mobileye’s share price spiked by more than 13 per cent, but the real impact of the billion-dollar deal flows to almost every tech company having an association with autonomous driving.

Aside from the LIDAR, RADAR hardware and cameras, Intel wants access to data-rich autonomous vehicles.

In the future, Google will be looking to find fortune by mining the many gigabytes of data an autonomous car will generate every hour.