General Motors is, arguably, one of the most aggressive companies working towards a fully self-driving car. To assert its position, GM will be the first automaker to test self-driving cars in New York City, reports The Wall Street Journal.
No company has taken to New York City with self-driving dreams in mind, but GM is determined to send a fleet of autonomous Chevrolet Bolt EVs to Manhatten next year, via Cruise Automation. Cruise engineers are currently mapping out the area where the cars will undergo testing. For GM as a whole, New York City presents a very different challenge than current test areas.
Companies perform most self-driving car tests on the West coast, specifically in California and Arizona. There, the sun shines more often than not, and winter doesn’t include snow. On the East coast, it’s a very different story, and more traffic and congestion will offer fresh challenges to GM’s self-driving car software.
Cruise Automation CEO Kyle Vogt said New York City will “improve our software at a much faster rate.” “Anyone else who’s driven in New York knows that it’s going to present some unique challenges,” he added.
Comments
I would love to be the one who gets to ride along in one of these cars during testing!
Glad I’m not there