To use it on the moon. General Motors is collaborating with Lockheed Martin to produce the best self-driving electric vehicles for rough roads.

The project, which was announced in its early stages, has yet to receive any funds from NASA.

The aim, however, is to design light, but powerful vehicles that will travel farther and faster than the lunar hovercraft that carried NASA's Apollo mission astronauts in the early 1970s, the two companies said.

Kirk Sherman, a former NASA director who is now vice president of Lockheed Martin Lunar Exploration, said: "Mobility will really open the moon."

Last year, NASA launched an invitation for industrial ideas on lunar space antennas. The Space Agency aims to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024, the deadline set by the White House.

The vehicle will initially be designed to transport two astronauts simultaneously, according to Jeff Ryder, Vice President of General Motors.

A short promotional video clip of the company showed a large, open vehicle accelerating over the moon's slopes, with more headlights.

Ryder said that this is "just a glimpse into how we see this opportunity."

Sherriman pointed out that by self-acting when needed, rovers can keep astronauts safely away from dangerous spots such as permanently shaded craters in the Moon's south pole.

Frozen water collected from these dark corners can be used to drink, grow plants and generate rocket fuel.