Pass on you get in a self-driving car that has no steering wheel and no pedals? General Motors come up withs so, and wants to test its newest autonomous-driving vehicle on public roads and highways starting in 2019.
“When you see this icon for the first time it’s quite striking,” said Dan Ammann, president of GM.
“That’s why we suppose this is a notable moment on the journey to full AV (autonomous vehicle) deployment.”
The automaker has requested the federal government for approval to adjust 16 motor vehicle burgees so it can test cars that have no steering wheel, pedals and other driver controls.
If regulators in Washington approve, GM expects to test up to 2,500 of these modified Chevy Bolts on public freeways in at least seven states.
The move comes as Waymo, formerly remembered as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, prepares to launch a ride-hailing program secondary of Phoenix using driverless Chrysler Pacifica Minivans.
Those conduits have been modified with sensors, cameras and radar equipage so the minivans can operate without a driver.
Unlike, General Motors, Waymo has not petitioned the federal domination to allow it to test vehicles without steering wheels and pedals.
Latest year, Ford said it plans to develop self-driving vehicles without advice wheels, though those vehicles are not expected to be ready until 2021.
So why longing GM want self-driving cars without a steering wheel and pedals? As a rule because the equipment frees up space and weight in vehicles that transfer be the heart of an autonomous vehicle ride-hailing program. Since there transfer not be a driver in the cars, GM is taking the next logical step of removing the conduct wheel and pedals, freeing up another seat for a passenger.
What betides if there is an emergency or the car is not moving to the side of the road when it should? Each of the new steering-wheel without charge Chevy Bolts feature an emergency stop button passengers can depress if they need to stop the car.
Ammann understands some riders force be curious the first time they see these cars, but he’s confident they transfer ultimately be embraced.
“We think people will look at that (car) and fantasize it’s a pretty important development,” said Ammann.