Google Gets First Self-Driven Car License in Nevada

Google has been the only company with the right to test self-driving cars in Nevada since June of 2011, but now it has some company on the road.

Google's self-driving car got its license this week as the state of Nevada became the first in the nation to license the company's vehicles.

Law enforcement agencies are increasingly using sophisticated cameras, called “automated license plate readers,” or ALPRs, to scan and record the license plates of millions of cars across the country. These cameras, mounted on top of patrol cars and on city streets, can scan up to 1,800 license plate per minute, day or night, allowing one squad car to record more than 14,000 plates during the course of a single shift.

By David Zanoni:I was stunned to see a blind man in the driver's seat of Google's (GOOG) self-driving car in this video. He never had to touch the steering wheel. The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles approved the use of the self-driving car back in May 2012.

It is increasingly likely that someone or something has recently taken a picture of your car's license plate. License plate readers are used in almost every state. They allow police to quickly spot everything from expired registrations to car owners who may be wanted for much more serious offenses. But they're also raising privacy concerns. Charlotte Albright of Vermont Public Radio reports.

Increasingly expensive and hard-to-get license plates in Shanghai are forcing drivers to buy a plate before they get the car.

   Photo: CFPDriving License: An Obstacle for Car Sales in Rural ChinaNation, page 13Despite attractive subsidies, China's latest consumption stimulus scheme of encouraging rural reside...