Google has held multiple discussions with the British government about the prospects for driverless cars in the UK, documents obtained by the Telegraph show.

The US internet giant has held five face-to-face meetings with the Department for Transport (DfT) in the last two years about autonomous vehicles, according to records made available under the Freedom of Information Act.

They suggest that Google sees the UK as a key market for its driverless cars, which are currently being tested in California. Minutes show Google bosses describing the UK as a leader in developing laws for driverless cars.

Meetings were attended by leading figures at Google’s self-driving cars project, including Chris Urmson, the head of the unit, and Jennifer Haroon, the head of business. Officials from various government departments including the Treasury and UK Trade & Investment have been present, although names of some government representatives have been redacted.

Large parts of the minutes have also been hidden to protect commercial interests, so much of what has been discussed remains unknown. They do not explicitly state that Google plans to test its driverless cars in the UK.

They do show that Google has taken a special interest in the thorny issue of how driverless cars will be insured.

Records of the five meetings, held in London and California between January 2014 and July of this year, show Google praising the UK’s approach to driverless car rules and a particular interest in how the vehicles should be insured.

bbabo.Net