Google's latest prototype of its self-driving car is a revolutionary idea presented in a remarkably mundane package.

The tech giant has unveiled its first ground-up design of a driverless car and says it will begin testing it on public roads later this summer. Google has made remarkable strides in autonomous driving, but this is the first time it has tapped the truly game-changing potential of the technology–a seismic shift in how cars will look in the future. The first draft, while meant to be approachable and friendly to win over people wary of autonomous technology, is thoroughly disappointing to anyone excited to see a new day in auto design.

The prototype, an electric two-seater about the size of a Smart ForTwo, looks a bit like an egg. The headlights and grille (which, of course, EVs don't really need) give it a cartoonish face, something clearly meant to put people at ease with the groundbreaking technology within.

This is the third-generation Google car. The first was a modified Toyota Prius. The current generation is a modified Lexus RX350h. The third-generation car unveiled Tuesday uses essentially the same technology, though Google says it can "see" farther ahead. These cars have racked up about 700,000 miles since 2009 with no significant mishaps to speak off. There's always been a human at the wheel ready to take control. That required using cars that humans can operate, with things like steering wheels and brake pedals. But that's a temporary phase.

Once computers are unarguably better drivers than humans–and regulations change to reflect that–auto design could, and should, see a major revolution. The most basic ideas, like forward-facing seats, mirrors, and foot-operated controls–will no longer be necessary. Automakers can go nuts.

Yet Google played it safe. Project lead Chris Urmson said the design was guided by the question, "What should be different about a car that won’t be operated by humans?" The latest prototype, a “very early version” of the answer to that question, ditches the steering wheel and pedals. But it still looks like a conventional car, and a lame one at that.

Discussing the self-driving future earlier this month, Urmson pointed to a 1957 ad for Central Power and Light Company promising cars that drive themselves down highways. It showed a family seated around a table in a car, playing dominoes. The half-century-old image makes Google’s prototype look like a timid vision of a potentially exciting future.

The prototype, which has a range of around 100 miles, is designed primarily for safety. It won’t go faster than 25 mph, and the windshield and soft, foam-like fascia protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a crash. There are no airbags, but there are other means of keeping occupants safe, said Ron Medford, who oversees safety for the project, said. He would not elaborate.

As far as the styling goes, Google was “trying to develop a shape for the vehicle and an appearance that would be approachable and friendly,” while fitting into neighborhoods, Urmson said. Like a Smart car, there’s nothing intimidating about it, and it’s “friendly” to the point of looking goofy. That could lower the hurdle for getting wary customers to try it out.

An unnamed manufacturer is building about 100 prototypes, which Google will begin testing on closed roads in California later this summer before taking them out on public streets by the end of the year. Each car will have manual controls and test drivers ready to take over if anything goes wrong.

Google has said its self-driving cars are still at least five years from commercialization. Hopefully Google and other companies working on this will have some more creative ideas by then. They should take a hint from Tesla’s Model S, an electric car that offers terrific performance, revolutionary technology and the sex appeal to make it desirable. Put autonomous technology in a package like that, and we’re fully on board.