General Motors-backed AV company Cruise has officially launched its commercial driverless operations in San Francisco. This is part of its promise to launch an autonomous driving service in Dubai.
According to TechCrunch, Cruise has sent two of its autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles to Dubai to start mapping the city in preparation for a planned launch in 2023.
These two Chevy Bolts will initially be deployed in the Jumeirah area of the city and will be driven by humans with special training. Cruise's sensor suite has lidar, radar, and cameras that can gather data about the vehicle's surrounding environment that can be used to Crete a virtual map for the autonomous driver.
The company also said that the robotaxi service in Dubai will use Cruise Originals, their purpose-built all-electric shuttle with no steering wheels or pedals. They hope to reach 4,000 Cruise Origins in Dubai by 2030.
Currently, there are no Origins in operation because the company only built it for the purpose of closed course testing so far. However, it's likely that the company will start its Dubai operations through the Chevy Bolts.
Dubai will be the first non-US city for the Cruise Origin, and GM also said that it will be built at the all-electric Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center. The company still intends for San Francisco to be its first market for its commercial robotaxi service.
Cruise is one of the best capitalized autonomous vehicle companies in the world. In fact, over the last three years, Cruise has raised over $9 billion from several investors. Currently, the company is valued at $30 billion, according to The Verge.
The Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum called the agreement "the first of its kind" and "a major step toward realizing Dubai's Self-Driving Transport Strategy aimed at converting 25 percent of total trips in Dubai into self-driving transport trips across different modes of transport by 2030," as reported by Transport Topics.
Also Read: GM Cruise Robotaxis Stopped Operating in the Streets of San Francisco Causing Traffic For Hours
The Autonomous Future of Dubai
Dubai has been an important hub for automakers and tech companies from around the world. The city is well known for its futuristic projects and its residents are excited about self-driving cars. The city is making a huge effort to develop autonomous vehicles and to incorporate them into their public transportation system.
The city of Dubai is beginning to slowly transition from human-driven vehicles to driverless vehicles. This will allow it to provide better and more efficient transportation not only to tourists, but also to its own residents.
As Dubai continues to develop as a hub for autonomous vehicles, the city will have to face a number of hurdles and challenges. This is something that the city is already aware of. However, the city is working with both tech companies and automakers to solve these problems.
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Written by April Fowell
