GM's Cruise robotaxis are back in Phoenix but people are driving them
Table Of Content
Later this year, GM is planning to start production of the Cruise Origin, a purpose-built autonomous shuttle without traditional controls like a steering wheel and pedals. GM had previously planned to produce a version of its electric Chevy Bolt without steering wheels and pedals but has since put that plan on hold while it prioritizes the Origin. In some ways, it’s similar to how Waymo started out in Arizona with the launch of an “early rider” program that then evolved into Waymo One, the Alphabet company’s first commercial service. A spokesperson for Cruise did not immediately respond to a question about whether these initial passengers will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements (as Waymo’s did) in order to be approved.
General Motors Cruise AV is more than a Bolt without a steering wheel
Earlier this year, Friedlander outlined numerous concerns about how autonomous vehicles generally interact with not only the public, but also with buses, trains, and first responders. “The bar has been raised for driverless operations, and it needs to encompass the entire experience and not only aggregate safety performance,” he continued. While speaking at the investor event, Vogt expressed concern that too much pushback against the robotaxis — simply for being pioneer technology that will make mistakes — will stall important technological advancements that could make roads safer and save lives.
View All Auto & Transportation
In an all hands email to employees, Cruise’s new president and CTO charts a more thoughtful path for the robotaxi company in the aftermath of its disastrous roll out in select US cities. Vogt went on to say that once the Origin goes into production, it can scale very quickly. Vogt noted that while the Origin is designed to be “a party on wheels” or a “Zen oasis between meetings or on your way to work,” it’ll also present an opportunity to build more vehicles at a cheaper cost.
Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
The rides will be free to start out, as Cruise has yet to be approved to accept paid rides. The company, which has previously only allowed employees to ride in its autonomous vehicles, says it has tested the waters with a few of its first non-employee customers, including GM CEO Mary Barra, as well as a few non-employees. The move comes after GM in January invested $500 million in Lyft to help the Uber competitor beef up its ridesharing service. The company has been facing an ongoing existential crisis since an October incident in San Francisco, where a Cruise car dragged a woman 20 feet after she’d already been hit by a car. Since then, California regulators revoked its permits, and the company shut down its remaining fleet voluntarily.
The CEO of self-driving car firm Cruise resigned yesterday following an accident in which a Cruise robotaxi dragged a pedestrian 20 feet. California officials accused Cruise of withholding key information and video after the accident, and the company's self-driving operations are on hold while federal authorities investigate. We’re reintroducing a small fleet of manually-operated vehicles to begin mapping with trained safety drivers behind the wheel. Ed Walters, who teaches autonomous vehicle law at Georgetown University, said that driverless technology is critical for a future with fewer road fatalities because robots don’t drive drunk or get distracted. But, he said, this accident shows that Cruise was not “quite ready for testing” in such a dense urban area.
Our services
We are committed to safely deploying our technology in close collaboration with officials and communities at every step. The company’s next-generation vehicle, the Cruise Origin, is currently in production at the GM Detroit-Hamtramck Plant (rebranded as Factory Zero). The steering wheel- and pedal-less shuttle will replace Cruise’s fleet of Chevy Bolts, which will end production later this year.
"Today I resigned from my position as CEO of Cruise," co-founder Kyle Vogt wrote in a post on twitter.com. "The startup I launched in my garage has given over 250,000 driverless rides across several cities, with each ride inspiring people with a small taste of the future," he also wrote. Moving forward, Chiu, the San Francisco city attorney, said officials are still working on their request to appeal Waymo’s permits to operate their robotaxi service in the city.
General Business Overview
G.M.'s Cruise Moved Fast in the Driverless Race. It Got Ugly. - The New York Times
G.M.'s Cruise Moved Fast in the Driverless Race. It Got Ugly..
Posted: Fri, 03 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt said the company expanded its driverless fleet size by 86 percent, from 130 to 242 “concurrently operating AVs.” The vehicles have since passed the 1.5 million miles mark and regularly conduct 1,000 driverless trips with passengers each day, Vogt added. The morning after the collision, Cruise showed The Post and other media outlets footage captured by the driverless vehicle. In the video shared via Zoom, the driverless vehicle appeared to brake as soon as it made impact with the woman. Others competitors such as Lyft, Uber and Ford Motor/Volkswagen-backed Argo AI have ended their autonomous vehicle programs, citing the massive investments needed for an unprofitable and untested industry.
Robotaxis by GM's Cruise are getting ready to hit the streets again - TheStreet
Robotaxis by GM's Cruise are getting ready to hit the streets again.
Posted: Fri, 23 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Cruise Automation, an AV startup with GM's backing, has said in the past that it wants to double its workforce in 2019, and with a massive new investment, it's one step closer to reality. Aside from the lidar emitters up top, and the livery on the side, you'd have a hard time telling this Bolt EV apart from a regular one. Elshenawy also acknowledged that the company would be hit with layoffs, as Vogt had previously announced internally, but did not provide any further details. The executive and Cruise founder said the Origin costs GM less to build than its Chevy Bolts because all of the sensors, compute systems and software are simplified to lower the upfront cost of the vehicle. And in a few years, the Origins will rely on Cruise’s custom, in-house designed chips, which Vogt says takes a lot of cost and complexity out of the equation.
The company did not disclose how many robotaxis are in use in a typical day or night in San Francisco. San Francisco Fire Department officials have expressed similar sentiments on prior occasions. “GM remains committed to supporting the independent safety reviews and Cruise as they refocus on trust, accountability and transparency,” wrote Faryl Ury, a GM spokesperson, in an emailed statement. “We have a great deal of precision around both the final cost of this and the timing, which means that in 2025, the hardware we build will be capable of reaching those unit economics,” said Vogt, reiterating Cruise’s goal of getting down to a cost of operating at $1 per mile.
California is ground zero for AV testing in the US, with over 60 companies licensed to operate autonomous vehicles for testing purposes in the state. A handful of companies hold permits to test fully driverless vehicles, without safety drivers behind the steering wheel. And an even smaller number have been approved to pick up and drop off passengers as part of a commercial pilot service.
The company earned just $30 million in revenue for GM, though most of that money comes from interest and other non-operating sources. Cruise, which operates robotaxis in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin, says it remains on track to hit $1 billion in revenue by 2025 and $50 billion by 2030. According to the DMV, the Cruise vehicle dragged the woman pinned underneath for about 20 feet, a move that may have worsened her injuries.
We believe AVs will save lives and significantly reduce the number and severity of accidents on America’s and Arizona’s roads every year. AVs will also improve lives - including creating convenient and safe transportation options for the elderly and those with disabilities. As we begin this journey, we look forward to partnering with local communities to jointly achieve our shared mission of making transportation safer for all. Safety is the defining principle for everything we do and will guide our progress through this process. As we begin this work, we have requirements in place that not only cover the safety criteria, functions and roadworthiness of the vehicle, but also include robust incident response protocols and extensive training and ongoing performance monitoring for the operators behind the wheel.
The DMV’s order of suspension, which TechCrunch has viewed, states that Cruise withheld video footage from an ongoing investigation, prompting the agency to suspend its permit. The DMV said it met with Cruise representatives on October 3, one day after an incident that left a pedestrian, who had initially been hit by a human-driven car, stuck under a Cruise robotaxi. The DMV said it met with Cruise the day after the crash but received additional footage 10 days later after “another government agency” told the DMV it existed. While the Cruise vehicle did initially brake as the company reported, the longer video showed the car began moving again toward the side of the road.
Cruise declined to share the number of vehicles that would be accepting passengers during the day. The fully driverless cars will only be available to Cruise’s power users, who are members of the public who get free rides in exchange for testing out beta features and sharing feedback with the company. Cruise, the autonomous vehicle division of General Motors, is now operating a “small” fleet of driverless robotaxis in San Francisco during daylight hours for the first time. The news comes as Cruise continues to operate in the red, losing $561 million in the first quarter of 2023. Next, we’ll validate our AV’s end-to-end performance against our rigorous safety and AV performance requirements through supervised autonomous driving on public roads, in addition to the ongoing simulation and closed course driving we do.
Comments
Post a Comment