Cruise CEO Dan Ammann has written a letter to president Joe Biden urging him to loosen certain safety regulations order to help speed up the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles in the United States.
Cruise CEO Dan Ammann
The letter, which was reviewed by news agency Reuters this week, asks the Biden Administration to allow companies to have more vehicles exempted from certain federal safety standards, which were written with the assumption human drivers would be in control. Cruise believes that allowing companies to apply for more of these vehicles to be exempt from federal safety standards will allow it to deploy more driverless test vehicles and speed up the development of the Cruise Origin robotaxi.
Ammann’s letter pointed out that China does not have such restrictions for certain AV startups in the country and that the U.S. risks losing out to China in the driverless car race if the rules are not amended.
“China’s top down, centrally directed approach imposes no similar restraints on their home grown AV industry,” Ammann wrote, as quoted by Reuters. “We do not seek, require or desire government funding; we seek your help in leveling the playing field.”
Ammann also said the AV industry is estimated “to create and sustain 108,000 jobs over the next five years.” As of February 2020, Cruise had roughly 1,800 employees on its records – up from 1,000 in March of 2019.
Cruise recently applied to receive a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles that would allow it to charge consumers for rides and delivery with its autonomous vehicles. The permit is an important step toward Cruise’s eventual goal of operating a fully driverless ride-hailing/ service akin to Uber or Lyft – but with the added benefit of not having to pay a human driver.
The Cruise Origin, a fully driverless robotaxi that was developed in partnership with Cruise investor and partner Honda, will enter production at the GM Factory Zero plant in Michigan in 2023 and is expected to deploy on public roads in certain U.S. cities shortly after.
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Comments
IDK, if China is pursuing it, we probably better do a 180 and do the exact opposite.
Yup, that’s a pretty reliable red flag (pun intended?)
Wise post!
Let’s hurry up and fast track something that so few want.
AV progress is all depend on amount of data collected on the road. How much you drive AI algorithm learns more and more about various scenarios. China lets loose its AV companies because they’re a functioning state with nationalistic people and competent government. Because they know this is not specific to robotaxis. Once you crack the autonomous driving it opens the door to endless implementations. Such as all sorts of military applications.
Average Joe is all about to achieve simple juvenile vain sense of fulfilments. They want smoking and noisy cars to satisfy their childish minds. But a competent government doesn’t let this kind of decision to clueless man in the street. ordinary people have no knowledge therefore can’t look ahead, don’t understand they enjoy the privilege of being the citizens of the most powerful country in the world. They don’t understand what would be like hegemonized by a foreign power. And this all is about to change. China run passed the US in almost every category and if we let China to dominate future technologies too; artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, quantum computing then we’re really doomed.
America’s 20th century superpower status preceded from its technological edge; transistor made computer and telecommunication revolution possible, nuclear power, laser… Unfortunately this is not true anymore. Americans successfully subverted and now they reject science and technological innovation. They think they can live joyfully with their old-school gas cars and all other stuff and nobody take advantage of their backwardness. American military without a fear go to places like Afghanistan and walk all over virtually untouched because we know we’re much more technologically advanced than the enemy. Now imagine same thing with the most brutal regime China, what would they do to you when they see the weakness and invade North America.
So you advocate the government taking away our personal transportation for the betterment of our nation? Kind if like the Vietnam War adage of having “to burn down the village to save it?”
I would not lose faith in the power of the US and its people (dumb as half of them appear to be). Nor in US exceptionalism. Not quite yet. China’s subjects are bred to blindly follow – or death! China’s strength is stealing and copying the technology that flows freely from minds that are free – mostly American technology from innovative American minds. China is an innovation paper tiger. The US should continue doing what’s served it and the world best: leading on its own terms and toeing the line for no one. Though the CCP is actively waging technological warfare, spreading their propaganda as surely as Covid and casting doubt in the minds of slumbering Americans, have faith these relentless assaults will ultimately serve as a wake up call and solidify our national resolve against the world’s foremost oppressor. Meanwhile, let’s stop idolizing China already, you sound like a bot.
What race? So far nobody I have ever spoke to wants anything to do with this crap. This is being slapped into our faces at every opportunity the manufacturers get. If the government wants to set up separate corridors with dedicated AV 18 wheeler delivery trucks or ride sharing services that is another matter but do no try and force this onto public roads so soon as technology and humans are nowhere near ready for this dull boring existence.
AV’s, super cruise, what ever technology Tesla uses for off hand driving should all be discontinued. The technology should be outlawed by government. Tesla driverless accidents will continue to rise. Hacks will take control of AV’s in a busy downtown city. It was pipelines then meat packing plants don’t think won’t happen to autos. Not all technologies are a smart way to go.
It is all but obvious that, by about 2030, nearly all new car sales will be for cars that are both electric and autonomous. China wants to dominate these sales. The worry is that they will.
I see where the electric cars will make inroads by 2030, but not nearly all sales will be electric. I don’t see any mass scale inroads for AVs by 2030, 2040, or even 2050. People value their freedom too much to “turn over their keys” to these ugly, soulless, drones. If China wants to spend tens of billions of dollars on this crap let them waste it instead of GM.