General Motors is currently working on electrifying its lineup of vehicles in its bid to outpace Tesla as the number one seller of autonomous vehicles in the world.
The car company is also working on its driver-assisted system, which it says is safer than Tesla.
GM to Rival Tesla in AVs
According to The Verge, GM has stated that its edge is its advanced hands-free system, the Super Cruise, which it will double the coverage area to 400,000 miles of highways and routes in late 2022.
In 2023, the car company is set to unveil the next iteration called Ultra Cruise, which GM said will cover 95% of driving tasks. Its robotaxi division, Cruise, is now accepting passengers in San Francisco as part of the city's commercial autonomous ride-hail service.
Despite the push for EVs and driver-assist technology, the public perceptions around them are not great.
People see the news about the latest car crashes involving Tesla and self-driving Uber vehicles, and they often conclude that AVs are too dangerous for public use.
Also Read: San Francisco Cops Left Confused After Pulling Over a Driverless GM Cruise
That could affect GM's efforts to put more AVs on the market and electrify its vehicles on the road. The car company is counting on an education campaign, in addition to stories in the media, to help consumers navigate the difference between Super Cruise and Cruise Origin, which is set to be released in 2023.
Mark Reuss, the president of GM, published a piece on LinkedIn on Thursday, Aug. 4, that outlines the automaker's approach to safety, with regard to its advanced driver-assist systems or ADAS like Super Cruise and Ultra Cruise and its autonomous projects like Cruise.
Reuss also revealed a few new details about the technology that will comprise the system of Ultra Cruise, like a lidar sensor and a new smartphone app that will be viewable from inside the vehicle and will offer information like trips, statistics, and driver's history.
A recent Pew Research Center poll, it shows that only 26% of Americans believe that AVs are a good idea, while 44% think the exact opposite.
Convincing the Public of EVs Safety
According to CNBC, just like the other automakers, GM is aware of the wall that it needs to climb in order to convince consumers that AVs can be a benefit to them, or at the least a convenient and amazing mode of transportation.
With that said, the car company is eager to get more EVs on the road in the interest of beating Tesla.
Jason Fisher, the chief engineer of autonomous vehicles at GM, said in an interview with The Verge that he wants things to go faster.
Fisher wants GM to be the first in the industry and that "there's a lot of revenue to be made when looking at the total addressable market, and they want to capture that market.
Fisher also acknowledged that there is a lot of confusion around the differences between AVs and ADAS, which can make it more difficult to address consumers' skepticism toward this technology.
GM wants people to understand that Super Cruise is not a fully functioning autonomous vehicle and that the driver is still expected to command control of the vehicle.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster
