Dec. 5, 2017—General Motors claims it will unleash autonomous vehicles in major cities by 2019, according to Geek.
The proposed timeline—outlined during an investor call this week—hints at a commercial launch “in dense urban environments” within two years.
GM’s Cruise Automation branch currently tests self-driving cars in San Francisco, Phoenix and Detroit, and plans to expand into Manhattan next year—with the blessing of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who recently passed legislation.
Founded in 2013, Cruise was acquired by GM last year in an effort to “build the world’s largest fleet of self-driving cars,” according to the project website.
So far, that includes 180 test vehicles, and a strategy for simultaneous driverless deployment in multiple cities. Exact locations have not been revealed, though San Francisco is a very likely candidate.
“We think this represents one of the biggest business opportunities of all time, since the creation of the Internet,” GM president Dan Ammann, chief of autonomous vehicle strategy, told investors.
