As of late December 2022, General Motors’ autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise began offering robotaxi rides in the Austin, Texas area. Now, a slew of Cruise AV units was recently captured in a traffic jam of its own making.
According to a report from Fox7, and captured in various videos and photos posted to social media, quite a few Cruise AV units were wrapped around a block in West Campus, Texas, seemingly stuck in a stalemate with each other.
It’s worth noting that there are 125 robotaxi units deployed around Austin, and that three AV companies – Cruise included – operate in the area.
“It was just insane,” a West Campus resident claimed. “They need to get better at seeing where each other is positionally and lining up. I mean, all of them are facing sideways in the street, trying to navigate around each other, even though they’re all part of the same network.”
“Once we were aware of the crowding event on Sunday morning, we were able to address it and all vehicles departed the area autonomously,” a Cruise spokesperson stated in response. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”
As in San Francisco, complaints regarding the Cruise AVs’ behavior are on the rise in Austin, including minor traffic blockages to outright crashes, although none have resulted in injuries or deaths so far.
In other Cruise-related developments, the self-driving company recently announced that it would begin production on Cruise Origin units very soon. For reference, the current Cruise AV examples in operation across the U.S. are serving as test beds for the technology necessary for autonomous driving. Eventually, all the data obtained and lessons learned will then implemented into the dedicated Cruise Origins, which have no provisions for human drivers.
One of the biggest hang-ups of the upcoming Origin is pending NHTSA approval. To this end, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt recently stated that the company expects the NHTSA to grant final regulatory approval soon.
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Comments
As Alfred E. Newman said “What Me Worry?”. It appears that Cruise does not care or worry about what happens to traffic flow.
Insane. They got a lot of work ahead of them yet lol.
Get these damn things off the street and into the crusher.
Looks like a bunch of ants on a log floating down the river.
Each one thinking the other one is “steering” the log…
Ban these traffic menaces now, before someone gets hurt!
Call a winch truck and drag them out of the way. Then impound them until a hefty fine is paid.
If you don’t want to drive, take a bus.
It is time that all Governments outlawed these vehicles. They are plain dangerous and not needed on our highways.