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Oh, No, It’s Here: Meet The General Motors Cruise AV, The First Vehicle Without Manual Controls


Oh, No, It’s Here: Meet The General Motors Cruise AV, The First Vehicle Without Manual Controls

At first blush, you’d think that you are looking at a Chevrolet Bolt EV, and you aren’t too wrong. The vehicle, officially known as the General Motors Cruise AV, is based on the bolt, but it’s got a couple of serious differences going on that you should probably be aware of. We aren’t talking about the nose job, but we will address the mess of electronics on the roof. But before we do, let’s address why GM even created this car. From their site:

“Imagine a world with no car crashes. Our self-driving vehicles aim to eliminate human driver error — the primary cause of 94 percent of crashes — leading to fewer injuries and fatalities.

Imagine widespread use of electric-only vehicles, reducing vehicle emissions. Our self-driving vehicles will all be electric, contributing to a better environment.

Imagine not sitting in traffic for what feels like half your life. And imagine a crowded city not filled with congested roads and parking lots and structures but with efficiently moving traffic and more space. Nearly one of three cars on city streets at any given time is simply looking for parking. Our technology will create better use of time and space. For everyone.

Imagine the peace of mind knowing that whatever our age, our stage of life or our physical capabilities we have the freedom to go wherever we want to go. Our self-driving vehicles will improve access to mobility for those who currently cannot drive due to age, disability, or otherwise.

The pathway to get all of us to this world requires integrating the software expertise of Silicon Valley with the systems safety and manufacturing expertise of Detroit and our teams around the world. With safety at the core, we are ready to take the next step.”

Meet the next step:

 Congratulations, driver, you have just been made obsolete. The Cruise AV is the fourth-generation self-driving vehicle from GM that was developed in partnership with Cruise Automotive and it’s coming…GM has petitioned the Department of Transportation to seek approval to allow the Cruise AV to start forming up the basis of a ride-sharing service composed of these little robo-taxi cars. And they are in a race…Ford, Uber Technologies, Waymo and others are trying to carve up a slice of what they all believe is a market that will be ready to go. If the Cruise AV gets government approval, the next step would be to get approval from each of the individual U.S. states. Seven already allow the alterations that GM has incorporated. The cars would only be able to operate in pre-mapped areas (think New York City, Los Angeles, San Franscisco, etc.)

Why push for a driverless car? Think about the profit. Right now the company makes a one-time profit off of a vehicle, at the initial sale. Now, imagine the revenue one car can create while being used in a ride-share system. See the dollar signs? GM does.


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6 thoughts on “Oh, No, It’s Here: Meet The General Motors Cruise AV, The First Vehicle Without Manual Controls

  1. Pontiac Drag Racer

    You can take my steering wheel out of my cold dead hands, but not before then. Driverless cars…… pipe dream. EVERY single car on the road would have to be autonomous for things to work as advertised. There will be other problems.

    What happens when the infrastructure can’t carry the loads put on with millions of electric cars trying to charge all at the same time.

    Are we that ignorant?

    One wonders with the use of corn based alcohol. It takes more energy to make alcohol a fuel. Yet somehow it is mixed with gas daily. It takes dangerous chemicals to make the batteries in battery powered cars. They are only slightly easier to scrap than spent fuel rods from a nuclear reactor. What about software for these cars? If someone dies, who gets held responsible? Your every move will be tracked. Google will have nothing on these cars.
    We simply want “the future” here sooner than is possible. Wake up people! You don’t want you muscle car (or pick up or any car) locked up in a museum because it will be no longer legal to drive or perhaps even own.

  2. Car Guy

    first off, I\’m pretty sure the Google car was the first with no manual controls. Secondly, I\’ve said this several times, a Commodore 64 could do a better job of driving than a lot of the people on the road right now. Lastly, as an automotive engineer and prof, I can say everything in the previous comment is wrong. And FYI \”wake up people\” is the calling card of tin foil hat wearing flat earthers. You might want to critique your sources of information.

  3. Pontiac Drag Racer

    They are in pursuit of the unattainable utopia. No foil hat needed.
    .
    For starters, I say a computer can never react to weather related road conditions the way a human can. I’m talkin from one minute to the next. It seems like they’d have to order all driverless cars on ‘lock-down’ any time there was a forcast for freezing rain or the like. I’d also expect an excrutiating increase in the amount of road salt and other chemicals to maintain bare pavement. You think the state & local highway departments are going overboard with that now, just wait.
    I don’t see how sensors are going to avoid hazards like big chuck holes and dead animal carcasses (just to name a few).

    I highly expect these vehicles will be equipped with tracking devises (how could they not be?) that Washington beaurocrats will just love.
    Someone made a good point about the insurance. I’m thinking that’s exactly how ‘The Man’ will force everyone to eventually comply. Anyone who wants to drive a conventional car will face huge premiums, because they will be deemed ‘the danger’. But I doubt driverless car users’ rates will go down substantialy. As was previously commented: If we ever get to 100%, then there ought be no need of auto insurance. They shouldn’t even need headlights for night driving, or turn signals if you think about it.

    I cherish my independance driving across the country, being able to stop where I want, when I want. I hope it’s still far enough away I won’t see it come to popular use in my lifetime.

    To solve the problems of today’s bad drivers will require a change in society’s morals. But that’s another discussion.

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