Autonomous Vehicles to be Tested in New York City

Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt says the densely populated city of more than 8 million people will give the company more unusual situations to test software and accelerate the development of the self-driving technology.

Oct. 20, 2017

Oct. 20, 2017—Cruise Automation, a San Francisco-based self-driving software company owned by General Motors Co., plans to begin testing its fleet of autonomous vehicles in New York City early next year, according to an ABC News report.

GM and Cruise are applying to operate in New York under a new pilot program announced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

If approved, the tests will mark the first time a fully self-driving vehicle will be allowed to operate in New York state.

The test vehicles will be electric Chevrolet Bolt cars equipped with cameras, radar, sensors and Cruise's software.

In New York, a small fleet of cars will operate in a 5-square-mile area of lower Manhattan.

The Chevy Bolts will have an engineer behind the wheel and an observer in the front passenger seat at all times.

Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt says the densely populated city of more than 8 million people will give the company more unusual situations to test software and accelerate the development of the technology.