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Automotive

GM hopes to put driverless Cruise AV on roads in 2019

By Aaron Turpen
January 15, 2018
GM hopes to put driverless Cruise AV on roads in 2019
The Cruise AV has no manual driver controls, and relies entirely on cameras and sensors to drive itself without human input
The Cruise AV has no manual driver controls, and relies entirely on cameras and sensors to drive itself without human input
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The Cruise AV has no manual driver controls, and relies entirely on cameras and sensors to drive itself without human input
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The Cruise AV has no manual driver controls, and relies entirely on cameras and sensors to drive itself without human input
Equipped with a host of safety equipment, the Cruise AV can scan in both long and short range in a 360-degree view
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Equipped with a host of safety equipment, the Cruise AV can scan in both long and short range in a 360-degree view
The systems all provide inputs to the on-board artificially intelligent computer in the Cruise AV, which processes and reacts in real-time
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The systems all provide inputs to the on-board artificially intelligent computer in the Cruise AV, which processes and reacts in real-time
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Imagine hailing a ride through your ride-sharing app, and when it arrives to pick you up, there's nobody inside. Just four seats. No steering wheel, no pedals, and no human control whatsoever. Would you get inside? GM hopes that you will, and the company wants you to try it out next year with the Cruise AV.

General Motors has filed a petition with the US Department of Transportation asking to deploy the self-driving Cruise AV in 2019. The reportedly production-ready car has no pedals or steering wheel, or any sort of manual control mechanism. It's based on the Bolt EV, and is not to be confused with the Cruze compact car. The Cruise AV gets its name from Cruise Automation, the startup GM purchased in 2016 to accelerate software development for autonomous vehicle technology.

Equipped with a host of safety equipment, the Cruise AV can scan in both long and short range in a 360-degree view. The vehicle has five LiDAR sensors (Light Detection And Ranging), 16 video cameras, and 21 radar sensors. The laser measurements give precision information about fixed and moving objects, complemented by the radar emitters and receivers on board.

Meanwhile, cameras work with the LiDAR inputs to classify objects being tracked. This helps to identify vehicle types, pedestrians, roadway details, and signage. Longer-range sensors track oncoming vehicles moving at higher speeds to anticipate driving needs farther along, while the short-range detectors determine immediate requirements for the automated vehicle.

General Motors has outlined the Cruise AV in its Safety Report, issued along with the petition to the Department of Transportation to allow limited testing of the Cruise AV on public roads through GM's in-house ride sharing program in select cities around the United States.

Source: General Motors

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AutomotiveGeneral MotorsGMAutonomous VehiclesSelf driving carsNAIAS 2018
8 comments
Aaron Turpen
Aaron Turpen
Aaron is a Wyoming-based automotive journalist with interests in electronic and engineering technology. Outside of New Atlas, Aaron is a prolific writer, father of two, and would-be chicken farmer.

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8 comments
zr2s10
No. Just NO. There should never ever be a vehicle without a manual control option. I don't care how good computers get, no system is perfect. Personally, I think there should be no fully autonomous vehicles, even with controls. Human beings are lazy enough as it is. You should force people to drive, but have the autonomous systems in place for accident prevention. Basically more advanced systems for auto-cruise, lane departure and auto-braking. To get a fully autonomous car should require a handicap designation. That would open a world of possibilities to the blind, until science fixes that issue.
CAVUMark
@zr2... and a system that automatically writes a ticket if the person in the drivers seat is caught texting. Yeah.
Derek Howe
zr2s10 - I agree, I also think we need to bring back elevator operators, and we need more libraries & get rid of the internet!
Ya can't stop progress. Self driving cars are already better then people, by 2019 they will be over 10 times safer then a person driving, and they will just keep improving. I look forward to owning a car where I can switch from manual to autopilot. I have a feeling I would drive less & less, since I would rather catch a nap, read emails, browse the web, text people, ect I expect driving to becomes a chore for people, and very few will want to do it.
guzmanchinky
I can't wait for the car that will NOT let you crash. Or the one that drives when you want it to. I still want to be able to drive if I want to...
Douglas Bennett Rogers
This could be a huge cottage industry, as people will buy the cars and send them out to collect fares.
aki009
Good luck with that automation thing. I can't wait for the crash videos of automation making stuhpid mistakes that no human would.
zr2s10
Cavumark, they need to start better education for hands-free texting, and get Google/Apple to get better with that tech. Cortana was best I've used, but that's obviously not an option, at least not as good as it was on W10M. People are going to find ways to text and drive. Make it safe.
Derek Howe, thanks for the perfect apples to oranges comparison. Yes, because an elevator is exactly like a car. Do you own a smartphone or a computer? Likely. Have you ever had that phone or PC mess up, or freeze up on you? Certainly. Now trust your life to it with no way to take over. I'll pass.
SteveO
@aki009, are you wanting those videos to go with your collection of videos of people making stupid mistakes while driving that computers never would? YouTube is FILLED with humans making stupid mistakes behind the wheel.