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Google Expands Self-Driving Car Tests to Arizona

Google Inc. will begin testing some of its self-driving cars in the greater Phoenix, Ariz., area later this year.

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Google Inc. will begin testing some of its self-driving cars in the greater Phoenix, Ariz., area later this year.

Google is using four specially equipped Lexus RX450h crossover/SUVs to create high-definition maps of Phoenix streets that include such details as lane markers, traffic signals and curb heights. This type of detailed information is needed for autonomous vehicles to operate.

The company says it chose Arizona as a test site to evaluate how the various sensors needed for automated driving functions perform in extreme temperatures and dusty desert conditions.

With a fleet of 200 prototype autonomous vehicles, Google has accumulated more than 1.5 million miles of real-world testing. It has been conducting such tests near its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., for nearly six years and recently expanded testing to Austin, Tex., and Kirkland, Wash.

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