Driverless ‘Robocabs' Could Lead to Much Greener Future, Berkeley Lab Study Concludes

As Google's self-driving cars make their public debut on streets this summer, a new study maps out a future in which driverless "robocabs" could help provide a greener future.

National Geographic noted the study, published by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers Jeffrey Greenblatt and Samveg Saxena, concluded that, if robocabs comprised 10 percent of rides, they could help cut greenhouse gas emissions by 94 percent by the year 2030.

Greenblatt said this figure could go even higher if Americans embraced robocabs as a practical alternative to driving. 

"You could be reading a book or texting while driving across town," Greenblatt told NBC News.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a 2012 bill that would allow driverless vehicles on the road and tasked the Department of Motor Vehicles to determine rules for the road by 2015.

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