Amazon drops huge chunk of change on self-driving car tech

While we still may be a ways away from the flying car, we may be one step closer to getting our own self-driving car, thanks to Amazon. Aurora, a startup tech company investing in self-driving car technology, has announced that it has secured over $530 million in financing from a series of investors, including venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, money manager T. Rowe Price Associates, and e-commerce giant Amazon.

“This funding and partnership will accelerate our mission of delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly,” Aurora announced in its blog, adding that “Amazon’s unique expertise, capabilities, and perspectives will be valuable for us as we drive towards our mission.”

Amazon is clearly keen on the idea of self-driving vehicles, not only having patented a highway network that controls self-driving cars and trucks, but also partnering with Toyota’s fully autonomous, battery-electric e-Palette Concept Vehicle and unveiling a series of unmanned robot scouts to deliver goods to Amazon customers. There are, of course, still bugs to work out with the tech, but it makes perfect sense that the e-commerce giant is now putting money into a self-driving car company.

An Amazon spokesperson issued the following statement to SYFY WIRE: “Autonomous technology has the potential to help make the jobs of our employees and partners safer and more productive, whether it’s in a fulfillment center or on the road, and we’re excited about the possibilities.”

So it really does seem that the dream of getting our own customized KITT may be more of a reality than we had originally thought!