Table Of Content
- More from this stream Self-driving cars: Google and others map the road to automated vehicles
- GM’s Cruise reveals dual US probes into grisly collision and company’s response
- Robotaxi kept moving after hitting woman
- Smart navigation app uses ‘3D sound’ to guide blind people
- New leader of GM's Cruise acknowledges 'all-time low' amid safety review
Cruise and GM came under heavy criticism after Cruise failed to promptly disclose details of the incident to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV revoked the company’s permit to operate driverless vehicles on public roads, citing concerns about an inability “to respond in a safe and appropriate manner during incidents involving a pedestrian”. The automaker’s driverless car subsidiary, Cruise, announced last night the resignation of Kyle Vogt as CEO. The decision came over a month after an incident in which a hit-and-run victim became pinned under a Cruise vehicle and then was dragged 20 feet to the side of the road. As a result, California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended Cruise’s permit to operate driverless cars in the state.
More from this stream Self-driving cars: Google and others map the road to automated vehicles
Walmart is an investor, and is currently testing Cruise delivery at eight stores in Phoenix. Delivery has "the potential to be a big part of the business," West said. "Our integrity, our competency are being questioned and this really hurts," said Mo Elshenawy at an all-staff meeting Tuesday, according to a transcript of the call reviewed by Reuters.
GM’s Cruise reveals dual US probes into grisly collision and company’s response
In 2021, the company said it had about 20 initiatives in its pipeline that targeted $1.3 trillion in new total addressable markets. Since the incident, Cruise's robotaxi fleet has been grounded, pending the results of independent safety probes. Its leadership has been gutted, including its cofounders resigning and nine other leaders being ousted. GM is massively cutting spending and growth plans for the business, including pausing production of a new robotaxi. The company has hired a law firm to help it conduct a safety review and has pulled all of its vehicles off public U.S. roads in the meantime. Parent GM Monday that the automaker's external review of Cruise's safety will last into the first quarter of 2024.
Robotaxi kept moving after hitting woman
"Today I resigned from my position as CEO of Cruise," co-founder Kyle Vogt wrote in a post on twitter.com. "The startup I launched in my garage has given over 250,000 driverless rides across several cities, with each ride inspiring people with a small taste of the future," he also wrote. Others competitors such as Lyft, Uber and Ford Motor/Volkswagen-backed Argo AI have ended their autonomous vehicle programs, citing the massive investments needed for an unprofitable and untested industry. Stellantis has announced partnerships with BMW and Waymo, but nothing along the lines of Cruise and Argo. GM continues to operate a military defense unit and fuel cell business that have both recently announced new contracts or partnerships.
Smart navigation app uses ‘3D sound’ to guide blind people
GM's Cruise robotaxi unit lays off 900 workers with investigation into San Francisco crash ongoing - The Associated Press
GM's Cruise robotaxi unit lays off 900 workers with investigation into San Francisco crash ongoing.
Posted: Thu, 14 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
But in truth, Uber’s failed effort to launch driverless cars turned out to be way more instructive. He argued that self-driving cars would lead to a dramatic drop in traffic fatalities, using the example of a young girl killed in a San Francisco intersection to bolster his argument. Cruise even bought a full-page ad in The New York Times declaring “human drivers are terrible” and holding up its driverless cars as the only solution.
New leader of GM's Cruise acknowledges 'all-time low' amid safety review
On Oct. 2, a car hit a woman in a San Francisco intersection and flung her into the path of one of Cruise’s driverless taxis. The Cruise car ran over her, briefly stopped and then dragged her some 20 feet before pulling to the curb, causing severe injuries. And the resignations may not be over; Dan Kan, a co-founder of Cruise and the company’s chief product officer, is also stepping down, according to a source with knowledge of the events. Executives will appear before the California public utilities commission on 6 February to answer questions about the report and to help the agency determine an appropriate fine. Cruise had offered $75,000 as a settlement, but the commission is seeking a stiffer penalty.
Workers will be eligible for bonuses and promotions in January, an executive said at the meeting. The company's chief administrative officer, Craig Glidden, said his focus has been on "resetting" the regulatory relationship and "building trust" and acknowledged "we still have a ways to go," according to the transcript. "I intend to work collaboratively with legal and government affairs on all the submissions that we need to make," he said.
GM Halving Spending On Cruise Self-Driving Cars In 2024, Report Says—Will 'Relaunch And Refocus' Unit - Forbes
GM Halving Spending On Cruise Self-Driving Cars In 2024, Report Says—Will 'Relaunch And Refocus' Unit.
Posted: Tue, 30 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The safety review concerned the incident and did not broadly examine corporate culture or protocols. Technological issues aside, what really put Cruise in hot water late last year was its response to the incident. Regulators accused the company of withholding information about the crash, only sharing that a Cruise robotaxi ran over a pedestrian who had been flung into its path after first being struck by a human-driven vehicle. The automaker also has discussed personal autonomous vehicles as early as mid-decade and evaluating "flying cars" for the mid-2030s, among other things that have been de-emphasized more recently.
Barra and other proponents of autonomous vehicles have consistently touted that self-driving cars have the ability to significantly reduce crashes and roadway fatalities, while also providing transportation for those who may not be able to drive themselves. But commercializing autonomous vehicles didn't pan out for most, and it's been far more challenging than many predicted even a few years ago. The challenges have led to a consolidation in the sector after years of enthusiasm touting the technology as the next multitrillion-dollar market for transportation companies. "In October 2023, we paused operations of our fleet to focus on rebuilding trust with regulators and the communities we serve, and to redesign our approach to safety," Cruise said in a blog post.
The decision by Ford and Volkswagen to pull the plug on their jointly-controlled automated vehicle operation, Argo AI, threw the entire automated vehicle sector into a tailspin. Investors have hammered the shares of public AV tech companies and driven a wave of consolidation deals. Cruise is also working to expand delivery services - a prototype of an Origin outfitted with lockers for goods is on the company's website.
By Andrew J. Hawkins, transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. Cruise said in January that it "accepts" the conclusions found in the report. The San Francisco-based company, of which GM owns about 80%, said it will "act on all" recommendations and is "fully cooperating" with investigations by state and federal agencies following the Oct. 2 accident.
Since the incident, Cruise has fired nine executives; its CEO and a co-founder resigned; and it cut a quarter of its staff. California suspended the company’s permission to operate autonomous vehicles in the state in October. Cruise said a report it commissioned from the law firm Quinn Emanuel found that the evidence did not establish that Cruise leadership or employees “sought to intentionally mislead or hide from regulators the details” of the 2 October incident.
