Per GM Authority coverage from April 2024, General Motors’ autonomous driving subsidiary Cruise is poised to relaunch its robotaxi operations in Phoenix, Arizona soon. In fact, the self-driving company recently announced that its Chevy Bolt-based Cruise AVs will begin supervised rides this week.
Of course, the keyword here is “supervised,” which indicates that all of these autonomous cars will have a safety driver behind the wheel, ready to jump into action should the need arise. In addition, supervised autonomous driving is currently expected to just begin in Phoenix and then gradually expand to the Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler areas after safety benchmarks are reached.
This development comes as Cruise has been busy mapping the Phoenix metro area as of late, with roughly 40 percent of the region mapped out as of May 1st, 2024. This mapping is used to determine the location and extent of traffic lights, stop signs, speed limits, no parking zones, school zones, crosswalks, and other aspects of the Phoenix roads.
It’s worth noting that the brand was expected to relaunch its autonomous driving endeavors in Texas after reports of representatives from the company talking with Texas officials to ensure a safe return to public streets. However, this no longer appears to be the case.
View this post on Instagram
In related news, the robotaxi subsidiary recently hired Rob Grant as its Chief Government Affairs Officer. Having previously worked at GM’s autonomous subsidiary for four years, Grant has experience working with the United States Senate, Aurora, Lyft, and Ripple.
With its community-centered leadership, the company hopes Grant’s hiring will improve its public relations efforts and allow it to continue expanding its autonomous driving operations.
“I fundamentally believe in Cruise’s autonomous vehicle technology,” Grant stated. “Cruise’s technology can change the landscape of road safety and save lives, expand access to electric vehicles, and enhance mobility for all people.”
Be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for GM Cruise news, GM AV news, GM EV news, GM business news, and more obsessive-compulsive GM news coverage.
Comments
Autonomous cars are an answer to a question nobody asked.
They make no sense to me.
They are inevitable – not if, but when. And when is soon….
Would you like some sugar or Sweet-n’-Low with that Kool Aide?
The ONLY people who voice opposition to EVs are trolls from the oil/gas industry, and auto dealers. The opposition from oil/gas is a no-brainer. Opposition from dealers is due to the FACT that most dealers make most of their money from maintenance, and maintenance on EVs is next to nothing, compared to ICE. When EVs take over, a lot of dealers are out of business. Period. Some dealers in rural areas are small businesses, who do a good job. But, most of the money in dealership are in urban areas, where many dealers own multiple dealerships for multiple brands. That’s big money – big enough to hire trolls to bad-mouth EVs.
Autonomy is based on EVs, so AVs are opposed by oil/gas, dealers, the Teamster Union, Uber, and others.
Trolls. Who will ultimately lose. EVs and AVs are inevitable. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated…..