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In 2012 Florida became the second state to pass legislation allowing self driving vehicles. In the three years since, technology has leap frogged, and Florida is on the cutting edge of what could new research and development opportunities because, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, we are the second state to pass laws allowing autonomous vehicles.

Engineers nicknamed this car Jack. It’s an Audi A-7 that starts at just under 70 grand. That’s before you load the trunk with computers and equip it with laser sensors from top to bottom. Jack took us for a spin with engineer Thomas Mueller.

“Our goal is to reduce ninety percent of the accidents human being produce. To get rid of that accidents is a tough task” Mueller told us while his gestured with his hands that weren’t on the wheel.

Jack is an autonomous vehicle…not a driverless car.

“People still need to keep an eye on the road. People still need to monitor the system.”

That’s an important distinction.

Q:”This is pretty amazing?”

A:”It is. It is  Amazing.”

And Jack won’t speed says Mueller as he adds you probably wouldn’t want to anyway.

“It’s not about speeding in the end. It’s about driving comfortably. Comfortable. It’s about finding way to to relax in the car.”

Jack is in the state Capitol to thank lawmakers for being among the first to allow cars like Jack on the highway says the Audi engineer.

“they are very open to innovation. They are supporting us in the discussions that we also need for legal framing of that technology.”

Sponsor Jeff Brandes says the states early adoption could soon be an economic boom.

“There’s going to be new jobs that haven’t even been titled yet that are coming to Florida” says the St. Petersburg State Senator.

This concept car is likely to be for some sometime after 2020. Cost remains a big question.

Audi plans to market a car that is less sophisticated than Jack in 2017.

Technology has advanced so far since Jack, the concept car was built, that the trunk load of electronics has already shrunk to a board about the size of an tablet computer.