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2024: Closing of self-driving taxi service
On December 10, 2024, General Motors announced its withdrawal from the Cruise unmanned taxi project. This is due to high costs, as well as a number of road accidents involving these self-driving cars, including collisions and collisions with people.
In a statement, General Motors said the company plans to review its autonomous driving strategy and prioritize the development of advanced driver assistance systems. Since 2016, the automaker has invested more than $10 billion in Cruise. In 2023, General Motors CEO and Chairman Mary Barra announced that Cruise's business could generate up to $50 billion in annual revenue by 2030, but now plans for the project have completely changed.
 | General Motors will no longer fund the development of Cruise robotic taxis, given the increased competition in this area, as well as the significant time and resources that will be required to scale the business, the official statement said. |  |
The company intends to focus on developing fully autonomous vehicles for personal use. We are talking about technology that will allow cars to maneuver, accelerate and brake under certain conditions without the participation of the driver.
General Motors, which owns about 90% of Cruise, has entered into agreements with other shareholders to increase its stake in the company to 97%. In the future, the automaker intends to buy out the remaining securities, restructure and reorient Cruise's activities. It is assumed that these measures will reduce costs by more than $1 billion per year. The reorganization is planned to be completed in the first half of 2025.[1]
2023
Car recall for hitting pedestrians
On November 7, 2023, Cruise (a subsidiary of General Motors) announced the recall of 950 of its robotic taxis based on Chevrolet Bolt EV electric vehicles. The reason lies in the shortcomings of the autopilot, which poses a threat to other participants in the movement and pedestrians.
USA Robomobiles are being recalled due to incorrect operation of the Cruise Automated Driving Systems (ADS) autopilot collision detection subsystem, according to a notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In particular, cases of hitting pedestrians and other incidents were recorded.
Cruise confirmed the presence of "defects" in the autopilot software. It is said that the problem is related to the Collision Detection Subsystem function, which is part of the ADS. This function is responsible for detecting the moment of a traffic accident. In the event of an accident, the car may mistakenly try to get out of the traffic jam to the side of the road instead of staying put.
This is especially dangerous when a person can find on the ground - for example, a downed pedestrian. In such a situation, the car can either move the victim, or drag him along. This behavior of the robomobile is a direct threat to human health and life. This is what happened on October 2, 2023 in San Francisco, when a pedestrian hit by another car was thrown under the wheels of a Cruise robotaxi: an unmanned vehicle tried to drive to the side of the road, dragging the woman several meters and seriously injuring her.
Cruise has already developed a software update that fixes the malfunction. At the same time, under pressure from regulators, the company is revising its safety protocols. As of early November 2023, the operation of robotaxis has been suspended.[2]
Stopping the production of Cruise Origin
On November 6, 2023, Cruise (a subsidiary of General Motors) announced the cessation of production of fully autonomous Cruise Origin minibuses, which in principle do not have a steering wheel and pedals. At the same time, Cruise does not plan to completely abandon the robotaxi project. Read more here.
California Operating Permit Revocation
On October 24, 2023, the California Department of Motor Vehicles ordered Cruise (a subsidiary of General Motors) to suspend operation of self-driving taxis. The reason is the increased incidence of road accidents involving these robotic vehicles.
Cruise received permission to commercially operate robotaxis throughout San Francisco in August 2023. However, in the same month, an investigation was initiated against the company in connection with the collision of an unmanned taxi with a fire service car following an emergency call. As a result of this accident, a robomobile passenger was injured. Several incidents involving Cruise taxis and pedestrians were later recorded, including hitting a woman who suffered serious injuries. As a result, the California Department of Motor Vehicles first demanded that Cruise halve the number of autopilot taxis on the roads of San Francisco, and at the end of October 2023 completely revoked the license for the commercial operation of these cars.
The regulator says Cruise has "distorted information relating to the safety of self-driving technology in its vehicles." As of October 2023, an investigation is underway into whether the company is taking the necessary measures to ensure pedestrian safety.
| | Based on the information and characteristics provided, the Department of Vehicles concludes that the [Cruise] manufacturer's cars are unsafe for public use, the regulator said in a notice. | |
Cruise said that in response to the department's demand, the company suspended unmanned taxis in San Francisco. At the same time, Cruise emphasizes that it develops and implements autopilot technologies precisely to improve road safety and to save lives.[3]
Multiple hits on pedestrians, authorities open investigation
In mid-October 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety USA Administration (NHTSA) initiated an investigation into Cruise (a subsidiary General Motors) for its robotic taxis. The fact is that on American roads, cases of these robomobiles hitting pedestrians have become more frequent.
Several incidents were recorded in San Francisco. So, on October 2, 2023, a woman fell under the wheels of an unmanned taxi Cruise after she was hit by another car driven by an ordinary driver. It is reported that the victim crossed the roadway not along the pedestrian crossing, and an unidentified vehicle hit her, the owner of which fled the scene. The woman was thrown to the other side of the road on which the Cruise robomobile was moving. A taxi with autopilot instantly activated emergency braking, but it was not possible to avoid a collision. The woman was trapped under the car, and rescuers had to use special tools to release her. The victim was sent to a medical facility with serious injuries.
NHTSA received two more reports of incidents involving Cruise robomobiles and pedestrians, plus two similar cases are captured on videos posted on the Internet. The investigation was initiated due to the fact that Cruise cars "may not provide proper safety for pedestrians who find themselves on the roadway."
During the investigation, NHTSA specialists will determine the scale and severity of the potential problem. Cruise representatives, in turn, say that the company's robotaxis, after covering a distance of more than 8 million km, demonstrate higher safety indicators compared to human drivers.[4]
2022: The launch of paid taxi rides without drivers
In mid-June 2022, General Motors' Cruise service became the first and only one in the United States to receive permission to commercially use unmanned taxis in San Francisco.
Previously, the unmanned taxi Cruise and other companies used their drone cars with a driver who, if necessary, could take control of the car. In large American cities, this was a prerequisite for travel. According to the developers, San Francisco is one of the most difficult cities in terms of driving a car. It would be much easier to test unmanned vehicles somewhere on the outskirts. However, the problem, according to the developers, exists just in large cities, where accidents most often occur due to the human factor.
Cruise will be able to carry out paid passenger traffic at a maximum speed of 50 km per hour on some streets of San Francisco from 22:00 to 6:00. The fleet is expected to take place from 30 electric vehicles. Cars are prohibited from driving on the highway during heavy fog or rain.
The company received permission to offer passengers free robotaxi rides in 2021. The first passengers began to use in February 2022, according to the information publication. Financial Times Cruise cars do not work from gasoline, but from electricity. The company considers environmental concern to be one of its most important missions. Having received the green light, Cruise plans to gradually introduce unmanned taxis, focusing on providing the safety of the service for passengers, said Cruise Chief Operating Officer Gil West.
Cruise technology consists of a series of sensors and cameras built into the Chevrolet Bolt. It is an all-electric vehicle manufactured by General Motors. Cruise has also announced plans for its own Cruise Origin car. In Origin, there will be no pedals, mirrors, steering wheel and it will mainly consist of a seat, reminiscent of the part of the limousine where passengers sit facing each other.
In 2021, General Motors announced that Cruise's rapid scaling phase will begin in 2023, when production of autonomous cars will grow from 1,000 units in 2021 to 10,000 in 2026 and to more than 1 million in 2030.[5]
2021
California approves commercial operation of Cruise self-driving cars
On September 30, 2021, the Department of Motor Transport California approved commercial operation self-driving cars Cruise and. Waymo This allows both companies to charge fees and receive compensation for autonomous services offered to the population only in certain areas. More. here
Permission to carry passengers by car without drivers in California
In early June 2021, Cruise, GM's self-driving vehicle subsidiary, received permission to carry passengers in its test vehicles without an operator behind the wheel. The permit was issued by the California Public Utilities Operations Commission (PUC) under a pilot program and prevents the company from charging passengers a toll.
In California, two regulators are testing and deploying a fleet of self-driving vehicles. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is evaluating tests of self-driving vehicles with operators in case of unforeseen situations, and about 55 companies have already received appropriate permits.
The test permits without involving a human operator were a new milestone for companies that want to launch a commercial robotaxi or unmanned delivery service. Similar tests intend to conduct AutoX, Baidu, Cruise, Nuro, Pony.ai, Waymo, WeRide and Zoox. The latest step only Nuro has managed to achieve is getting DMV approval to deploy a fleet of self-driving vehicles on a commercial scale. However, Nuro vehicles cannot carry passengers, only cargo. Otherwise, they would have to get permission from the PUC as well.
Permission to test robotaxis without passengers from both DMV and PUC has already been granted to Aurora, AutoX, Cruise, Deeproute.ai, Pony, Voyage (which was acquired by Cruise) Waymo and Zoox. Only Cruise has received tests of self-driving cars with passengers, but without an operator so far.
| | Self-driving cars are capable of transforming our transport system, increasing mobility and road safety, as well as ensuring sustainable and efficient movement of goods throughout the state, says Genevieve Shiroma of the PUC. - In addition, effective deployment of self-driving vehicles could transform business models of vehicle manufacturing and maintenance, and create new jobs in California.[6] | |
2020:8% staff cut
On May 14, 2020, it became known that the developer of autonomous vehicles Cruise, owned by the General Motors concern, will cut almost 8% of its full-time employees. The reason is the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The cuts will mostly take place outside the technical teams. They will affect the marketing, recruiting, design, commercialization and business strategy departments. As of May 2020, the company employs approximately 2 thousand people. Thus, the reduction will affect approximately 160 employees.
Cruise's laid-off workers will provide financial support and pay for health insurance through the end of 2020, the company's CEO Dan Ammann wrote in a memo.
Cruise, which received a $1 billion investment from GM in 2019, has begun actively building up its staff with talented engineers and robomobile management software developers. However, the company abandoned plans to release its first robotaxi by the end of 2019 and did not have time to set a new deadline before the global economy was hit by COVID-19.
In addition to GM, Cruise's investors include SoftBank, Honda and T. Rowe Price Group. In total, $7.25 billion was invested in the project. As part of the last round in early 2019, it was valued at $19 billion.
In April 2020, Cruise cars took to San Francisco roads to deliver food. In just a few days, Cruise robomobiles helped add over 3.7 thousand meals to low-income families.[7]
The news of Cruise's downsizing comes a week after GM CEO Mary Barra announced the "unwavering" commitment of the leading US automaker to Cruise startup, and that the business will continue to evolve.
Notes
- ↑ GM to refocus autonomous driving development on personal vehicles
- ↑ Cruise is recalling 950 driverless cars after one of its vehicles ran over a pedestrian
- ↑ California sidelines GM Cruise's driverless cars, cites safety risk
- ↑ Federal regulators open investigation into GM self-driving car subsidiary Cruise
- ↑ Cruise’s San Francisco robotaxis seize initiative in race for autonomy
- ↑ Cruise can now give passengers rides in driverless cars in California
- ↑ Cruise Lays Off Staff in Pivot From Self-Driving Hiring Spree
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