Panel: Technology will reshape our transportation options

Google Product Manager Anthony Levandowski said that in thinking about the future, Google's mission is to increase safety and reduce accidents through its self-driving vehicle. Although the automobile is not expected to become available for public for another five years, the company is working to resolve issues such as safety, he said.

Google's approach to technology of the future is that it must be able to function on its own, and it must work within the existing infrastructure to save tax dollars for road improvements, Levandowski said. In 2010, there were 32,788 fatalities on roads in the U.S., he said. With the self-driving vehicle, people could be five times less likely to get into an accident, he said.

"Our mission is to improve people's lives by transforming mobility," he said.

Levandowski said Google has become a player in the transportation game because its software could apply to a need in the industry.

"I think we see an opportunity where software can improve the safety in vehicles," he said.

Some of Google's challenges with its self-driving vehicle include proving the safety and reliability of the system, which is why the vehicle is not expected to become public for five years, he said.

The audience asked the panel questions about issues with patent protections and how technology companies view public-private partnerships. Drivewyze President and CEO Brian Heath said the company's business model is public-private and often works with public agencies such as law enforcement. Heath said Drivewyze's tolling software that uses GPS and mobile phones is expected to be available by download to the public soon.

WAVE's new charging technology for electric buses uses magnets to recharge vehicles instead of plugging them in, said moderator Scott Belcher, president and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. The technology allows a bus to recharge every time it stops via wireless roadway pads and to be completely pollution-free. WAVE CEO Wesley Smith said a prototype is already being used in Logan, Utah. ITSA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the deployment of technologies, including the safety and efficiency of the U.S. transportation system, according to its website.

that improve the safety, security and efficiency of the nation's surface transportation system.

"We have the capability of doing enormous things, but are they yet efficient or effective from a business perspective? The answer is not quite yet in many cases, but yes in other cases," Walton said.