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A new self-driving taxi is now fully operational in San Francisco, California. Developed by GM Cruise, the self-driving taxis use more than 40 sensors and can navigate complex situations. Cruise says its vehicles are capable of avoiding repeat collisions and can even pull over to the side of the road when necessary. But until these vehicles are fully operational in San Francisco, the company has a long way to go before the public can trust them to transport themselves.
GM Cruise’s self-driving taxis are equipped with more than 40 sensors
GM Cruise‘s self-drivING taxis are basically all-electric Chevy Bolts, equipped with more than forty sensors on the car’s body to detect objects and other drivers. The self-driving system has a specially developed program that learns with each mile the taxi travels. These self-driving taxis are not intended for passengers, but rather for employees and other passengers who do not want to wait on the street.
While Cruise’s taxis are still in development, the company is not expected to make a profit until it has been operating a fully driverless fleet. GM says it expects to begin earning profits in eight years, when the self-driving taxi service begins operating. The company says it plans to use the new funding to increase its workforce and scale its technology. It has already secured $10 billion in funding from major investors. At this time, the company is valued at $30 billion.
They avoid repeat collisions
The Public Utilities Commission has approved Cruise’s application for driverless taxis in San Francisco. It is not clear how many accidents the technology will prevent. It hasn’t even revealed the number of crashes with human-driven vehicles. However, there are some significant trends that Cruise’s software can detect and avoid, and it can adapt to different situations in real-world driving. In the future, cruise hopes to expand the program to other cities as well.
Despite the challenges, the company’s robotic taxis are making progress. The first commercial version of the service will feature 30 electric cars, operating only in less congested areas of San Francisco. The pilot will run in San Francisco from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the first few months, to help regulators evaluate the technology before allowing it to be used in other cities.
They can navigate complex situations
The company’s driverless taxis are not immune to complex situations. During demonstrations, they regularly swerve to avoid collisions, but sometimes they stop to clear a parked truck or slow cyclist. A 2016 car accident led Cruise and Waymo to settle, but the scooter crash is still under legal challenge. The resulting lawsuit has raised questions about the safety of driverless cars on public roads.
Although Cruise has been able to garner widespread support in San Francisco, transportation experts urged the state to proceed cautiously and examine the safety record of self-driving cars. But the technology is not yet ready to drive on public roads, and some benefits are unknown. The company hasn’t made any public demonstrations of how its driverless cars can navigate complex situations, and many of the claimed benefits are not supported by research. Nonetheless, some transportation experts are optimistic that the technology will be widely adopted before long.
They can pull over to the curb
While it may seem like a far off dream, the Cruise Driverless Taxi has pulled over to the curb in San Francisco to pick up passengers in a very public demonstration. The driverless vehicle was stopped by two police officers and many people walking on the street. While the robo-taxi was stopped by the officer, it quickly accelerated through the intersection and pulled over to the curb.
However, the city’s commission has rejected Cruise’s application to operate fully autonomous vehicles. The city has cited three cases where the self-driving vehicles failed to pull over to the curb, including one where a driver did not pull over to pick up a passenger. The SFMTA ruled that Cruise failed to follow the law by not pulling over, while it is illegal to park near the curb. Also, the city did not approve Cruise’s service for neighborhoods with low incomes, minority populations, and wheelchair-bound passengers.
They don’t have a state license to transport paying passengers
Waymo and Cruise have been granted permission to operate their autonomous vehicles for paid passenger transportation in certain areas. However, the city of San Francisco does not yet have a state license to allow the autonomous vehicles to carry passengers. Nevertheless, passengers are allowed to take free rides in Cruise robo-cars. As a result, some SF residents are worried about safety.
Despite being in the pilot program for fully autonomous vehicles, Waymo and Cruise have been found unfit to operate their driverless vehicles in fog or heavy rain. While they have not received a state license to transport paying passengers, they are allowed to conduct tests under certain circumstances. In California, they have yet to apply for a driverless taxi deployment permit. In order to get a driverless taxi license, Waymo and Cruise must first go through several safety hoops.