What was once a sci-fi fantasy has roots far older than most people realize.

The idea of a driverless car started in 1925, when Francis Houdina drove a radio-controlled car through the streets of Manhattan without anyone at the wheel drawing crowds who reportedly described it as a “phantom hand” at work.

By 1939, General Motors was already imagining a future of electromagnetic, road-guided electric cars even showcasing the concept at the World’s Fair.

Source: Operator announcements (Waymo, Tesla, Aurora, Kodiak, Gatik, others), California DMV filings, and reporting from TechCrunch, Electrek, and other tech press. Compiled May 2026.