The key words are "long term". I am concerned that these obstacles will not be overcome in "3 to 5 years":

* "Chris Urmson of Google has said that the lidar technology cannot spot potholes or humans, such as a police officer, signaling the car to stop." [1]

* "Another big problem for Google is the current cost of its driverless car, which is reportedly outfitted with a whopping $250,000 in equipment." [2]

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car

[2] http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/01/21/3-reasons-g...