The world of transport will welcome a new revolution. The Cruise company is going to launch a brand new service. This is the robot taxi. Previously, Cruise had already rolled out its services all over the United States. But this time, she decides to make improvements. According to Gil West, Cruise’s chief operating officer, the creation of this service is a big step for the company. For the moment, the company will only offer a limited number of services with only a few operational vehicles. This decision was made to facilitate its launch, but also so that Californian regulators can approve all services.
A 100% autonomous car
The Cruise company has already received the green light from regulators. The service will soon be available across California. The Cruise company said 30 vehicles will be active to provide service in the city. Although she mentioned that her robot taxis would be available all over California, some areas will not be covered by the services. This is because its vehicles will only work in less congested areas.
In addition to the route, the weather is also a major factor in service availability. Therefore, under severe weather conditions, the cars will be out of service. Indeed, these measures are intended to limit and prevent possible accidents. For his part, Kyle Vogt, the co-founder of the Cruise company, has already tested the service by crossing the city in one of these cars. The company even said that the introduction of these taxis would be economical for customers, but also good for the environment.
Cruise isn’t the only company getting into self-driving taxis
This service is not entirely new, as the company Waymo had already offered the journey in driverless vehicles. On the other hand, the car was not fully automated, as a backup driver accompanied the cars in the event of a technical problem. The service offered by Waymo covers the Phoenix area, which is why Cruise claimed that its taxis would be operational without drivers. Moreover, even to order them, you have to access a special application.
For the time being, Cruise will use the Chevrolet Bolt brand car, a vehicle designed by General Motors, as the Cruise company is part of its group. This car is electric and sensors and cameras will be integrated into it. But in order to improve its services, Cruise wants to launch its own brand and range of vehicles. It will be called Cruise Origin and will have no pedals, mirrors or stirrer wheel but only a space for passengers.