GM's Rapid Progress Revs Driverless Cars

GM automated driving program developing quicker than expected

Logging thousands of miles in San Francisco advances GM's timeline

GM paid a pretty penny for self-driving tech startup Cruise Automation - north of a billion dollars, and it looks like it will pay off quicker than expected, says GM. When GM purchased the start-up a year ago, it did so to catch up to Google's driverless car program before it was too late. 

But it appears GM can breathe a sigh of relief as it has developed its program that it says is ready to go - right under the noses of Google in the streets of San Fran. Google's Waymo has tested in Phoenix and plans on operating a ride-sharing service there, exclusively, to get the ball rolling.  

GM and Cruise Automation, on the other hand, tested in San Francisco, a city with some of the most challenging driving conditions in the US, if not the world. GM's system has seen everything imaginable driving in the golden gate city and experienced a high rate of the unexpected - key external elements to train neural networks and sensory systems. 

Quotes by GM and industry experts:

"We are making rapid progress toward taking the driver out of the car," said Kyle Vogt, CEO and founder of Cruise Automation.


"Driving in San Francisco is almost nothing like driving in the suburbs, or other places where self-driving cars are tested," said Vogt.



In a note upgrading GM, analyst Rod Lache wrote, "GM's AV's will be ready for commercial deployment, without human drivers, much sooner than widely expected (within quarters, not years)." Article