Cruise Automation was officially acquired by General Motors last year, but the company continues to operate like a start-up. And for Cruise, it’s working out quite well.
Despite some stumbles, Cruise has been able to utilize the expansive network of GM’s resources and develop its technology at a quickening pace. As we’ve mentioned before, GM and Cruise have a very big positive attached to the relationship: GM has decades of experience building cars. For start-ups, building the car itself is often a real challenge.
Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt recently penned a lengthy piece with Medium to discuss the third-generation of its self-driving car prototype, which is still based on a Chevrolet Bolt EV. However, you will notice the badges have been removed and the front end design tweaked ever so slightly.
Vogt says the amount of technology packed into its third-generation self-driving car is on par with small aircrafts. Since humans one day won’t be the backup plan if something goes from, Cruise has worked to stuff safety backups for primary systems into the software. And backup systems should those fail… and backup systems for those fail-safes, too.
And all of this is being mass produced at the same assembly plant that builds Chevrolet Sonics in Orion, Michigan. Cruise hasn’t realized its self-driving car dream yet, but it’s coming pretty darn close.
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It would be interesting to see an independent test report of one of those vehicles in everyday traffic…