The US automakers General Motors (GM) and ford want in the United States Put self-driving vehicles on the road without human controls such as steering wheels and brake pedals. The companies have independently filed a special permit to operate a limited number of autonomous automobiles, separate applications with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show on Wednesday.
The automakers plan to use up to 2,500 vehicles per year for ridesharing and delivery services, which is the maximum legal limit for fully autonomous vehicles in the United States. Neither manufacturer is seeking approval to sell self-driving vehicles to consumers, the filings say.
A Ford spokesman said approval from the NHTSA is an important step in advancing autonomous technologies and eliminating controls and displays that are only useful to human drivers. The company wants to use self-driving hybrid vehicles with a combustion engine and an electric motor that are “specially developed and tailored for mobility services such as ride-sharing, ride-hailing and parcel delivery.”
GM’s “Cruise Origin” bus will drive autonomously
According to the company, GM is planning an autonomous vehicle called Cruise Origin, a car with subway-like doors and no steering wheel. The prerequisite for the commissioning of the car is that all passengers are buckled before starting the journey, according to the application from the Detroit automaker. GM continues to work closely with NHTSA during the approval process to see the “fully autonomous Cruise Origin on the road for years to come.” As early as 2018, GM sought approval for a vehicle based on the Chevrolet Bolt without steering wheels and brake pedals, but withdrew the application at the end of 2020.
GM boss Mary Barra wants to diversify the automaker. Already in February, the CEO announcedto invest more than $35 billion by 2025 to accelerate adoption of new electric vehicles. GM wants to focus primarily on the segment with cheaper models.
GM lost its position as number one in the US market, which it had held for many decades, to Toyota last year because of the lack of semiconductors. While the US group sold only 2.2 million vehicles last year, the Japanese rival came up with 2.3 million units.