GM repurposes robotaxi fleet to test tech it plans for your car

(This story has been updated to include new information.)

General Motors has put vehicles enabled with technology used in its failed robotaxi venture Cruise back onto the road. 

The Detroit automaker confirmed with the Free Press that it would accelerate development of GM's hands-free, eyes-off advanced driver assist system by “testing a limited number of Cruise Bolt vehicles on select highways in Michigan, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area,” according to a statement.

A self-driving GM Bolt EV is seen during a media event in San Francisco in November 2017.

The platform underpinning the vehicles, however, is new ― built by GM and former engineers that integrates technology of its advanced driver assist system, Super Cruise.

GM began testing in Michigan and Texas in February and in San Francisco in mid-April, the company said July 7. The cars operate with safety drivers, which are trained personnel who can take over control of the vehicle if needed.

“The internal testing with trained drivers integrates autonomous technologies with Super Cruise for simulation purposes and does not involve public passengers,” the statement also read. 

GM’s testing was first reported by Wired magazine, which noticed a GM Bolt in San Francisco featuring the lidar sensors on the roof that Cruise’s ride-hailing system utilized. Lidar, which stands for light detection and ranging, uses laser pulses to measure distances similarly to how bats use sound with echolocation. The time it takes for the light to return to the sensor is how it can calculate distance between the vehicle and surrounding objects, including three-dimensional shapes.

GM leaders had expected Cruise would generate $50 billion per year by 2030. But Cruise actually cost the company about $2 billion per year, totaling $10 billion since 2016.

The automaker said it will combine Cruise and GM technical teams into a single effort to advance autonomous and assisted driving in personal cars.

GM completed its purchase of the remaining 3% of Cruise stock and laid off half its remaining workforce Feb. 4, impacting 1,000 jobs, the majority of which were in the Bay area. At its peak, Cruise operated in San Francisco, Austin, Texas, and Phoenix.

State of the technology

Though Cruise is no more, GM has made clear that in finalizing the purchase, it plans to continue developing a “scalable” autonomous vehicle platform for personal ownership.  

GM's current advanced driver-assist system, Super Cruise, launched in 2017 and relies on real-time cameras, sensors, global positioning systems and lidar-based map data. Right now, the system controls speed and allows for hands-free steering with adaptive cruise control and can initiate lane changes within geofenced areas on divided and non-divided roads.

GM is testing a system that is considered Level 3 automation as determined by the Society of Automobile Engineers, whose system is the industry standard used to determine driver responsibility in cars with advanced features. Levels under 2 require full driver engagement with the assistance of a range of features such as automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane centering and adaptive cruise control, depending on the level. Super Cruise currently operates at Level 2, meaning that while the vehicle can operate itself under limited circumstances, drivers cannot take their eyes off the road while it is in use.

Anything Level 3 and above, SAE International considers “autonomous,” meaning that when the features are engaged, no human is driving the car, even if seated in the “driver's seat.” Level 3 is the lowest level that is still considered autonomous, the largest distinction being that if the system requests, the human driver must take back control of the vehicle. 

Though the Bolts were formerly in the Cruise fleet, Cruise's autonomous capabilities are not part of these vehicles. GM said the vehicles reuse Cruise hardware and software elements to record data that will be used to develop new GM products. Formerly, the Cruise vehicles were outfitted with Level 4 autonomous technology, a state of high automation where vehicles can perform all driving tasks in most environments without human intervention.

The company said on March 18 that its expanded collaboration with Silicon Valley chipmaker Nvidia included the use of its autonomous driving platform alongside other automakers like Volvo, Toyota, Rivian, BYD, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar Land Rover.