GM Expected to Launch Own Autonomous Ride Service

A GM executive has said that the company is hoping to launch autonomous vehicles for a ride-hailing service, likely by 2019.

Dec. 4, 2017

Dec. 4, 2017—A General Motors executive said on Friday that the company is hoping to launch autonomous vehicles for a ride-hailing service similar to Uber and Lyft, The Washington Post reported.

Battery-powered Chevy Bolts are reportedly being developed by Cruise Automation and could appear on U.S. streets without a driver by 2019.

And, the vehicles are not expected to have human backup drivers. GM had previously invested $500 million in Lyft.

“We have been committed since we first started talking about our efforts and when we purchased a portion of Lyft to building self-driving cars that operate in a ride-sharing environment,” GM executive Ray Wert said. “We’re very happy with how the technology is progressing. …”

GM has yet to reveal where it plans to launch its autonomous ride-sharing fleets, though a company executive said that opportunities especially exist in America’s coastal areas.

The manufacturer is already testing autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Detroit.