GM may integrate the self-driving vehicle technology it has developed with its Cruise subsidiary into future electric delivery vehicles from its fledgling BrightDrop brand.
Appearing on a recent webcast hosted by investment advisory firm Evercore, BrightDrop CEO Travis Katz said “autonomy is going to play a huge role in commercial delivery,” in the future and that his company will leverage Cruise-developed tech to help its customers save money.
“There is no need to have humans driving vehicles in all of these routes,” Katz said, as quoted by The Detroit Free Press. “One of the benefits of being General Motors, is we have our sister company Cruise, which is one of the leaders, if not the leader, in autonomous systems.”
Cruise Origin self-driving prototype
Delivery company UPS received negative media attention in August after some of its drivers shared photos of thermometers in their delivery trucks reading up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, while Amazon has faced scrutiny for the long hours and stringent quotas its drivers have to meet. Katz said autonomous vehicles could help address worker shortages in the delivery sector, which is having trouble attracting workers due to the tough requirements.
“There really aren’t enough drivers to do the work and it’s not a super glamorous job,” he said. “It’s a hard job.”
While BrightDrop is exploring fully autonomous delivery solutions, Katz acknowledges there are still hurdles to overcome. The biggest problem with driverless delivery vehicles is that there’d be nobody to bring the package to the doorstep or building lobby, however this could potentially be overcome by an automated version of the BrightDrop EP1 electrified pallet.
“The last 100 feet, you can’t just have an autonomous vehicle pull up, you have to figure out how does the vehicle get to the end? We have e-carts and things like this and software,” he said.
The human-driven BrightDrop Zevo 400 and Zevo 600 electric delivery vans will enter production at the GM CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario later this year.
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Comments
Considering UPS and amazon drivers make 90K on average, I highly doubt they cannot find enough drivers, it is just tough for them to pay that premium when they have found the Gig workers. UPS drivers about to go on strike because they want even more money.
What could possibly go wrong?
I think it’s too early for this technology. I don’t think I would feel too comfortable with these trucks cruising through my neighborhood every 2 hours.
I frequently see similar comments – that AV is not ready, it’s not safe –
Autonomous vehicles “see” EVERYTHING, 365 around the vehicle, all at once. They don’t get distracted. They have incredibly fast reaction times – much faster than a human driver. They “see” better at night. They don’t get irritated or angry at other drivers, however badly other drivers behave. They don’t drive recklessly for any reason. Etc. AV’s are safer than human drivers or they won’t be allowed on the roads. I look forward to AVs – much safer. AVs will save lives. Maybe your life….
Want any sugar with that Kool Aide?