General Motors autonomous car has seats but no steering wheel, pedals

MANILA: The concept of autonomous vehicles isn’t new. Various car and tech companies have been working together to master this art. However, General Motors has just taken the whole concept of autonomous vehicles to a  new level by unveiling its ‘Cruise Origin’ - an autonomous car without a steering wheel or brake and accelerator pedals!

Interestingly, General Motors developed the Cruise Origin in partnership with Honda and they together have part ownership of technology start-up Cruise, a Silicon Valley company established in 2013 that specialises in autonomous vehicles. General Motors took a stake in the Cruise start-up in 2016 whereas Honda stepped in in 2018.

Speaking about the Cruise Origin, Dan Ammann, head of the Cruise division, General Motors executive, said that “it will first be used for the company’s own ride-hailing service”. Fair enough. But when would this service start? We don’t have an answer to that yet.

Of course, testing of such vehicles in actual-world conditions and on real roads requires special permission which is not available in all US states. California and Nevada are among the states that allow special dispensation for the testing of driverless vehicles, though they come with a long list of restrictions. General Motors Cruise concept car still needs a waiver from US regulators to operate vehicles without human controls.

According to Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, “The Cruise autonomous car company provides a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team.”

Cruise operates as an independent unit and will continue to be based in San Francisco. On the other hand, GM itself has been testing autonomous tech on its existing models such as the Chevrolet Bolt.

Autonomous vehicles have always amused humans. They are a clear example of the advanced technology that we have in our hands. However, the thought of being driven in a car that has no steering wheel and pedals, fully operated by a computer, has put us in awe.

It would be interesting to see how other companies respond to Cruise Origin.

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