It has been a well-known GM’s Cruise Automation division has been hard at work on developing a fully-autonomous vehicle. Referred to within GM as Cruise AV, prototypes for the vehicle typically start life as a Chevy Bolt EV and are then upfitted with several fairly-noticeable LIDAR and camera systems on the roof, along with articulating RADARs on the mirrors. But the prototype we caught up to today doesn’t have any of these features, which has piqued our curiosity.
Notably, this prototype of the GM autonomous car is missing all of the roof-mounted LIDAR and camera hardware. Even so, the vehicle appears to be autonomous – as the photos clearly show the driver holding his phone with both hands while the vehicle is in motion, rather than the steering wheel.
More curiously yet is that this prototype of the GM autonomous car features the front clip from the Cruise AV mules. The unique front end houses nearly 20 RADAR sensors in addition to four roof-mounted fins that provide expanded vehicle-to-network communications.
GM has previously announced its intention of bringing a fully-automated vehicle to market in the near-term future, and it would seem that development is progressing, though we don’t quite know what to make of this particular GM autonomous prototype yet. Stay tuned as we snoop around for more info.
- Cruise prototype
- A Cruise prototype testing on public roads
Comments
When GM bought LiDAR company Strobe, the intent was so they could greatly shrink the unit and cut costs up the LiDAR system by up to 99% (granted that’s likely based on certain production figures). This mule could be the implementation of the new tech gain from that purchase.
” . . . the photos clearly show the driver holding his phone with both hands while the vehicle is in motion, rather than the steering wheel . . . ”
Just like many of the drivers I see every day!
What I see is Satan himself wearing prototype camo.
So Satan is so good at deception now that instead of dressing up as other humans, he dressing up as test mules?
Really now?
It looks like another damn ugly piece of crap from GM design. Fire them all and hire some Italians with a eye for style.
“Fire them all and hire some Italians with a eye for style.”
I’d like to remind you of the Fiat 500L, all of Lancia, and the totality of vulgarity that is Alfa Romeo.
Yes, Alfa Romeo is brand of vulgar, unreliable, and quickly deprecating cars.
You can’t see the forest through the trees. If this tech works as designed GM will be well ahead of almost anyone regardless of the Bolt mules they’re currently using.