Google lately revealed a prototype of a self-driving car that the company built from scratch, unlike previous versions which were modifications of existing car models.

The prototype does not have a steering wheel, or acceleration and brake pedals. All it will have inside are the passengers and a stop-go button to set the car moving.

Google said that it plans to build 100 units of the prototype, which safety drivers will begin testing with manual controls this summer. The company then said that, if the project goes well, Google will look to start a small pilot program in California within the next couple of years.

Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, showcased the prototype at the Code Conference. 

"The project is about changing the world for people who are not well-served by transportation today," Brin said. 

Google began their self-driving car project in 2010, stating that the company entered the project because its founders wanted to help give solutions to huge problems using technology. One of these problems is car safety and efficiency, and Google aims to reduce traffic accidents, free up the time of people and lower carbon emissions through changing the way that we use cars.

This new self-driving car prototype looks to do just that, as an improvement to the modified self-driving Lexus cars that Google developed in the past.

"Our software and sensors do all the work. The vehicles will be very basic-we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible-but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button. And that's an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people," Google said in a post in their official blog.

Compared to Google's self-driving Lexus, which has a mounted laser with a 12-degree field of view, the new self-driving prototype has lasers which give the car complete 360-degree views. On top of the lasers, the car has cameras that recognize colors when they matter, such as for traffic lights, along with radars that compute distance.

The main reason for the creation of the self-driving car project, as well as the automation technology that most car manufacturers are developing, is to ensure the safety of passengers. By allowing the vehicle itself to do the driving, chances of accidents from human error or carelessness, such as drunk driving or texting while driving, will be reduced to zero.