No steering wheel, pedals in GM’s self-driving car

DETROIT: General Motors Co is seeking US government approval for a fully autonomous car — one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal — to enter the automaker’s first commercial ride-sharing fleet in 2019, executives said. For passengers who cannot open doors, the Cruise AV (pictured) has even been designed to perform that task.  This will be one of the first self-driving vehicles in commercial passenger service and among the first to do away with manual controls for steering, brakes and throttle. What is the driver’s seat in the Bolt EV will become the front left passenger seat in the Cruise AV, GM said.

GM is part of a growing throng of vehicle manufacturers, technology companies and tech startups seeking to develop so-called robo-taxis over the next three years in North America, Europe and Asia. Other companies, from Uber Technologies Inc to Alphabet Inc’s Waymo, have been testing self-driving vehicle prototypes in limited ride sharing applications, but have been less explicit than GM in announcing plans for commercial robo-taxi services. The Cruise AV will be able to operate in hands-free mode only in premapped urban areas. GM’s prototype have been developed in San Francisco by Cruise Automation, a startup that GM acquired in March 2016 for $1 billion. — Reuters