GM Eyes Test of Full-Robot EV

"General Motors Co.'s driverless-car unit has requested approval from California regulators to begin public testing of a shuttle that has no steering wheel or manual controls, showing the auto maker's determination to make progress on autonomous vehicles as rivals step back.

GM's Cruise LLC division in August submitted an application to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, requesting permission to test its Origin driverless vehicle on San Francisco streets, according to a copy of the document obtained through a public-records request.

The California DMV began reviewing the application in late October, according to emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal as part of the request.

In its application, Cruise said it would begin test runs of the electric Origin in a confined area of San Francisco during limited hours and gradually expand over time. A Cruise spokesperson said it planned to launch testing once it received necessary regulatory approval and permits.

"Cruise has submitted, and the DMV has approved, multiple permit applications in the past. We look forward to working with the DMV to facilitate the review and resolve any questions they might have," the spokesperson said.

The California DMV said it doesn't comment on pending applications or their status and there isn't a specified timeline for completing the review process.

Deploying the Origin on public roadways would mark a milestone in Cruise's efforts to for a robotaxi business. Cruise eventually plans to operate thousands of the podlike shuttles in a service that would span several U.S. cities and bring in $1 billion in annual revenue by 2025 and $50 billion annually by 2030, GM has said.

Before the end of the year, Cruise aims to expand its robotaxi service using the retrofitted Chevy Bolts to Austin, Texas, and Phoenix. It plans to enter more cities next year with thousands of autonomous vehicles, including some Origins, produced by GM and operated by Cruise, executives have said.

Cruise, which is majority-owned by GM, for years has tested in San Francisco with Chevy Bolts equipped with software, sensors and other gear to allow for driverless capability. In June, it began offering rides in those vehicles to paying customers in San Francisco.

The Origin is Cruise's first vehicle built from scratch to serve as a driverless people mover. The shuttle has a boxy, rectangular shape with doors that slide open rather than out and seats facing each other to allow passengers to converse.

Honda Motor Co. is also an investor in Cruise, having committed $750 million in 2018 and plans for an additional $2 billion in coming years for the joint development of a mass-produced fully autonomous car.

GM plans to begin building Origins in volume at GM's main electric-vehicle factory in Detroit next year, Cruise Chief Executive Kyle Vogt told analysts in October.

While GM and Cruise push ahead on plans to commercialize robotaxis, other players have pulled back, expressing doubts about whether the technology can support a viable business soon.

Last month, Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG shut down their jointly owned autonomous-vehicle developer, Argo AI. Each of the auto makers said it would redeploy resources to develop partially automated driving features that can be used in its vehicles sooner.

Cruise's permit would only allow it to test the Origin without passengers. To transport people, Cruise would need authorization from a separate California regulator that oversees commercial vehicles, according to the DMV application.

Cruise intends to operate the Origin in the city and county of San Francisco at speeds up to 35 mph at all hours of the day, except when inclement weather is present, the application shows.

Since mid-October, Cruise has been testing a human-operated prototype of the Origin on San Francisco streets for data-collection purposes, Mr. Vogt has said.

In its application to the DMV, Cruise said it has developed a suite of tests specifically tailored to autonomous vehicles to verify the Origin's capabilities."[1]

1.  GM Eyes Test of Full-Robot EV
Felton, Ryan. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 01 Dec 2022: B.2.