Date: November 23, 2023. — General Motors‘ self-driving subsidiary Cruise is preparing to re-launch its driverless robotaxi service in one city (name withheld). Following the accident on Oct. 2 in San Francisco in which one of its autonomous Chevrolet Bolt taxis crashed with another vehicle and pulled a pedestrian, Cruise was forced to remove all of its vehicles from public highways in California. The incident prompted concerns about Cruise’s technology. It intends to deliver a fully driverless ride-hailing service with no human backup drivers.
According to the corporation, it has performed a thorough analysis and applied many system upgrades. These upgrades include improving perception, prediction, and planning capabilities, as well as adding more sensors and cameras to its cars. Cruise also stated that it has enhanced its simulation testing and validation. This allows the company to reproduce complex scenarios and test its software in various environments.
Cruise is not abandoning its plans to operate a commercial robotaxi and delivery service. The company will start with modified Chevy Bolts and eventually grow to tens of thousands of purpose-built Origin AVs on the road in the coming years. The business just received commercial delivery service permission in California. However, it is still one permit away from charging for driverless ride-hailing.
In addition, Cruise is extending its reach across the globe. The company is partnering with Honda to launch its Origin shuttle in Tokyo in 2026. Anticipate the production of the six-passenger electric shuttle in the second half of 2023. It is equipped with SAE Level 4 technology. In some situations and environments, it can function without the need for human interaction.
According to Dan Ammann, CEO of Cruise, the business is certain that its technology outperforms all human-driven cars, including ones with cutting-edge driver assistance technologies, in terms of safety and scalability. According to him, the business is addressing the enormous potential for autonomous vehicles in the US, Japan, and possibly other markets in the future.
