General Motors’ (GM, Financial) CEO Mary Barra said that the company would start testing autonomous cars on the roads of Michigan very soon to evaluate how the driverless technology would perform against the greater Detroit area’s harsh winters.
This comes after Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed the bill permitting the testing of autonomous vehicles on Michigan roads.
General Motors plans to test the self-driving Chevy Bolt electric vehicles on the public roadways of Michigan after Snyder agreed to allow the testing of certain parameters for testing and deploying driverless cars in the state. Michigan aims to move ahead of California and other states in a drive to become home to the autonomous car movement. Silicon Valley players including Tesla (TSLA, Financial), Alphabet (GOOG, Financial)(GOOGL, Financial) and Uber are at the forefront of implementing self-driving technology. The laws provide ride-sharing services to use autonomous cars without human intervention.
Barra made another major announcement that the next generation self-driving cars would be produced in the Orion Township assembly plant, where the company manufactures the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt. The testing vehicles will be equipped with LIDAR, sensors, cameras and other devices for safety. Barra said in a press conference, “We expect GM will become the first high-volume auto manufacturer to build fully autonomous vehicles in a mass production assembly plant.”
The Detroit automaker has already been testing its driverless vehicle in its Technical Center campus in Warren, Michigan. In total, General Motors has around 40 testing vehicles in the two cities. The automaker now plans to extend its testing to the public roads in the metro area of Detroit. General Motors proposes to make the area its key location for advancing its autonomous technology for winters.
The bill signed by Snyder lays out parameters for testing the technology by establishing regulations on how driverless vehicles could legally run on public roads. The enacted law permits testing of vehicles without human intervention and without steering wheels or pedals.
However, there are certain challenges that driverless cars would have to face. During winters, snowfall can cause the roads to be unclear and such tough road conditions would make the movement of cars not driven by humans unpredictable.
Push toward going autonomous
General Motors' moves in the last 18 months have clearly displayed its aggression in developing the autonomous technology. The carmaker’s announcement regarding its partnership with startup firm Lyft and acquisition of Cruise Automation are among its latest initiatives in advancing its autonomous technology.
The automaker has been fueling its effort to develop a strong robust autonomous technology. This can be validated through the company’s latest partnership and acquisition moves. In addition, General Motors has also been testing prototypes in Arizona and California. At the press conference, Barra displayed the electric Chevrolet Bolt with rooftop sensors, which is designed to assist autonomous driving.
General Motors has been working hard to build a foolproof driverless technology. The company’s management hasn’t disclosed when General Motors will begin testing without a human driver but expects it to happen over the next two years. General Motors also plans to begin operating a fleet of self-driving taxis, which would be allowed under the Michigan law.
Disclosure: I do not hold any position in the stock mentioned in this article.
Start a free seven-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.
