In self-driving car news, Google has begun work on a 53,000 square foot autonomous car facility in the Detroit suburb of Novi, Michigan. Google says they are “laying down roots” in Michigan, where they will be developing and refining self-driving technology. The location of the new facility gives them access to corporate partner Chrysler’s extensive four-season testing infrastructure as well as the extensive Detroit-area engineering talent pool. No word on how long before the facility is up and running – it looks like it’s pretty much an empty factory at the moment. You certainly can’t say Google isn’t taking this car thing seriously.