This wouldn't be a very interesting story if the answer were "yes." Whether Google or Toyota manufactures a self-driving car with manual override doesn't matter

This wouldn't be a very interesting story if the answer were "yes." Whether Google or Toyota manufactures a self-driving car with manual override doesn't matter much from the point of view of a typical citizen or someone who's interested in the architectural implications of this technology. As long as there's a manual override and a responsibility to use it, the car requires a capable driver paying attention all the time. It's an interesting beginning and it might improve safety but it doesn't fundamentally change things. But without manual override, the car must be very reliably capable on its own. I suppose there might be a network connection and the ability to dispatch an Uber to pick you up whenever the car decides it is unable to proceed. But nobody will choose to use these cars if that scenario is remotely common. So announcing that this thing could ship in 2 years indicates to me that either Google's tech is doing way better than has been suggested in other recent press, or Google has started talking up vaporware to an unprecedented degree.