Cruise robocars make a cautious return to Houston

Cruise, the autonomous vehicle specialist backed by General Motors, is resuming tests of its self-driving cars in Houston, following a series of incidents last year that led to a temporary suspension of its operations. The company is taking a cautious approach, returning small fleets to Phoenix and Dallas, and deploying just three vehicles in Houston, fitted with non-operational autonomous systems to gauge the response of human drivers. When ready, Cruise will begin "supervised autonomous driving" with a human ready to intervene if necessary.

The company, founded in 2013, has raised over $15 billion in funding, with GM providing more than half of that amount since acquiring the company in 2016. Despite facing a crisis last year, including an incident where a pedestrian was dragged by a driverless Cruise car, the company insists it will continue its work in the autonomous-vehicle sector, adopting a "slow and steady" approach.

Key takeaways

Cruise, the autonomous car company backed by General Motors, is restarting tests of its autonomous vehicles in Houston after a series of troubling incidents last year.
General Motors is investing an additional $850 million in the robotaxi project.
Initially, the autonomous systems in the cars will not be operational, indicating Cruise's cautious approach and desire to gauge the response of human drivers.
Despite a crisis last year, Cruise has insisted it will continue its work in the autonomous-vehicle sector, with a new approach described as 'slow and steady'.

Cruise robocars make a cautious return to Houston | Digital Trends

Key takeaways

Discussion (0)