GM’s Driverless Mission: Relaunching Human-Driven Fleet to Create Maps and Collect Road Data After Robotaxi Incident

By Moon Harper

Apr 10, 2024 01:44 AM EDT

Human-Driven Vehicle — (Photo : Unsplash/Paul Hanaoka)

The company announced that General Motors' Cruise self-driving vehicle division will reintroduce cars on American roads starting Tuesday, initially deploying a limited fleet of human-driven vehicles in Phoenix.

The Cruise Robotaxi's Pedestrian Incident

The decision to relaunch follows the company's suspension of operations, which occurred weeks after an October 2 incident, where a pedestrian in San Francisco was dragged 20 feet by a Cruise robotaxi after being hit by another vehicle.

Relaunching of Human-Driven Vehicles Fleet in Phoenix

The vehicles being redeployed will not function in their previous capacity as robotaxis but will be engaged in creating maps and collecting road data in specific cities, beginning with Phoenix.

Cruise stated its intention to resume driverless operations but did not specify a timeline nor plans to extend human-driven vehicles to other cities. Speaking to CNBC, a spokesperson clarified that Cruise had not yet determined when or where supervised or driverless operations would resume. However, the company emphasized the significance of relaunching the fleet with human drivers as a crucial step in validating their self-driving systems and progressing toward their driverless mission.

Cruise Rebuilding Trust and Leadership as A Whole

Cruise announced in a blog post that in October 2023, they halted fleet operations to concentrate on rebuilding trust with regulators and the communities they serve. They have since made considerable strides under new company leadership and with input from third-party experts, emphasizing a strong partnership with local communities. Cruise affirmed its dedication to ongoing improvement as a continuous endeavor.

An investigation conducted by a third party, commissioned by GM and Cruise following the October incident, revealed key factors contributing to regulatory oversights leading to the accident, such as culture issues, ineffectiveness, and inadequate leadership. The probe also looked into the cover-up accusations by Cruise leadership but found no evidence to substantiate such claims.

GM's Cruise Commitment to All Recommendations of the State

The San Francisco-based company, in which GM holds approximately 80% ownership, acknowledged the report's findings in January and affirmed its commitment to implementing all recommendations and full cooperation with the state and federal agencies' ongoing investigations in the wake of the October 2 accident.

The company indicated in January that investigations or inquiries into the incident involved various authorities, including the California DMV, the California Public Utilities Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Before the accident, Cruise had been gearing up for an ambitious expansion of its robotaxi services beyond its primary market. However, the company halted its operations and underwent significant leadership changes, including the resignation of its co-founders, CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt, and the removal of nine other leaders following the incident. Cruise also reduced its workforce by laying off 24% of its employees and several contractors.