General Motors (GM) announced plans to release a self-driving car in 2019. Called Cruise AV, the car was designed to operate without a human driver, steering wheel, or pedals. Here's everything you need to know about General Motors new self-driving car, the Cruise AV.
The Cruise AV Vehicle Can See At 360 Degrees During The Day And Night
The Cruise AV has an advanced sensor system, allowing the vehicle to see at 360 degrees, both during the day and evening. This means the Cruise can quickly spot people who are walking across the street, objects coming towards the windshield, or objects appearing out of nowhere, and respond appropriately. The car can even avoid knocking over construction cones, react when a car suddenly stops, to avoid last-minute accidents.
The Cruise AV Provides Moore Safety
General Motors says the Cruise AV provides "safety far beyond the capabilities of humans.
For starters, humans are constantly texting, talking on the phone or listening to headphones while driving, causing more than 40,000 people to die in car crashes in the United States alone. At least 94 percent of these car crashes are caused by human error," said GM.
Cruise AV Helps Those In Need
Sometimes, no matter how old we are, we go through different stages in life where we're not able to drive due to a disability, medical condition, or may just not have a drivers license. Whatever the reason, the Cruise AV wants to help those in need of getting them to where they need to go.
Taking A Ride On The Cruise AV
What's it like being a passenger in the Cruise AV?
General Motors fleet operations team will send a Cruise AV to the set location and will drop customers off at their destination. Inside the Cruise AV, there are tablets that provide real-time status information on the ride. Forget to close a door or lock a seat belt? The tablets inside the vehicle will remind you to be safe. And once your ride is complete, the Cruise AV will simply move on to its next customer.
This Is General Motors Fourth Generation Self-Driving Vehicle
The Cruise AV happens to be General Motors fourth generation self-driving vehicle.
"We've put together four generations of autonomous vehicles over the course of 18 months," said General Motors president, Dan Ammann. "You can safely assume that the fourth generation won't be the last."
Based in San Francisco, its expected the Cruise will make its way across multiple cities in the United States.
