General Motors aims to deploy a fleet of its fourth-generation self-driving car, Cruise AV, which has been designed without a steering wheel and pedals, in 2019.
Earlier this week, the American automaker filed a safety petition to the U.S. Department of Transportation to be able to test their fully autonomous cars through a commercial ride-hailing service by next year. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed on Friday that GM sought approval to operate up to 2,500 units of the Cruise AV.
"Safety is the [Transportation] department's top priority. The department will review this petition and give it careful consideration," the agency said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.
The automaker's petition contained a request for 16 alterations to be made to federal motor vehicle safety standards— such as having an airbag with out a steering wheel. These changes would then allow the Cruise AV to be deployed on public roads.
The deliberation process is said to take several months and GM will still have to seek similar approval from individual states. The automaker revealed that they have already received permission from seven states but declined to name which states they plan to deploy their fleet of fully autonomous vehicles.
If approved, GM will possibly be the first automaker to deliver a production-ready fully autonomous vehicle that has done away with manual controls for steering, brakes and throttle.
The GM Cruise AV is based on a Chevrolet Bolt EV that is equipped with five LIDAR sensors, 16 cameras, 21 radars. These allow the self-driving car to have a 360-degree view of its surroundings and anticipate the movement of objects within its vicinity. The Cruise AV is capable of changing its course if it detects an imminent collision on its driving path.
According to GM, their first commercial ride-sharing service will initially launch in one city and then scale up before moving on to other cities. Much like Uber or Lyft, customers will be able to book rides on the Cruise AV through a mobile application. They can also use the app to adjust different settings such as climate and radio stations.
Inside the Cruise AV, there are touchscreen tablets that display vehicle information, route details and maps, among others. If there are concerns or problems, customers can push a button to talk to remote support.
GM does not intend to release the Cruise AV for personal use. The self-driving car is only intended for the automaker's ride-hailing service — at least for the time being.
