Nevada’s state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) gave Google’s self-driven car it’s license yesterday. The state approved the nation’s first autonomous vehicle after officials drove alongside on the drives of highways in Las Vegas.

Nevada authorized self-driven cars last year, being the first to do so in the United States. Its law went into effect on March 1, 2012.

Google’s self-driven cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to help navigate. The DMV licensed a Toyota Prius that Google modified with its experimental driver-less technology, developed by Stanford professor and Google Vice President Sebastian Thrun.

Autonomous vehicles are the “car of the future,” Nevada DMV director Bruce Breslow said in a statement.

 The state also has plans to eventually license autonomous vehicles owned by the members of the public, the DMV said.

Legislation to regulate autonomous cars is  being considered in other states, including California.

Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licenses in Nevada.

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Nicole Siena is an intern for the Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at @nicolesiena

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