(JNS) Israel presented a draft law by the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety on Tuesday that would allow 400 self-driving electric taxis to operate in the country as early as next year. Avner Flor, an official at the Transportation Ministry, said 640 Israeli startups were working on autonomous vehicles with the goal of zero road accidents, coupled with reduced emissions and highway congestion, reported Reuters. “In the next decade, these vehicles will be mainly used for public transportation and less for private vehicles,” he told lawmakers in the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee. Flor also noted that 40 self-driving cars were already on the roads and that other self-driving cars are also being tested in Israel. Intel’s Mobileye unit is one of the companies developing self-driving cars.

Main Photo: CEO of Mobileye and co-founder of OrCam Amnon Shashua. Credit: Heinz Troll European Patent Office.