U.S. opens probe into GM Cruise autonomous driving system

WASHINGTON – U.S. vehicle security regulators mentioned Friday they have opened a official security probe into the autonomous driving method in motor vehicles generated by Common Motors’ robotaxi unit Cruise LLC.

The Countrywide Highway Visitors Security Administration (NHTSA) mentioned it has obtained notices of incidents in which motor vehicles operated by Cruise “may engage in inappropriately hard braking or become immobilized.”

The company explained whilst each concerns “look to be distinct, they each and every end result in the Cruise cars becoming unexpected roadway hurdles.” The basic safety agency’s preliminary evaluation covers 242 Cruise autonomous motor vehicles and is the 1st action ahead of it could seek a recall.

The investigation follows reports of three crashes in which Cruise automobiles ended up struck from at the rear of by other autos following the autonomous automobiles braked swiftly.

Cruise is offering constrained support in San Francisco with a smaller fleet of Chevrolet Bolt EVs.

Cruise said it has “driven virtually 700,000 absolutely autonomous miles in an extremely intricate city surroundings with zero daily life-threatening accidents or fatalities…. There is always a equilibrium in between healthier regulatory scrutiny and the innovation we desperately will need to help save lives, which is why we’ll carry on to entirely cooperate with NHTSA or any regulator in attaining that shared purpose.”

NHTSA mentioned it plans to absolutely evaluate the probable basic safety-associated difficulties posed by these two varieties of incidents and will evaluate “the commonality and basic safety logic of the tricky braking incidents” and the “frequency, period and protection penalties involved with the car immobilization incidents.”

Very last thirty day period, Cruise Main Running Officer Gil West informed Reuters the business options to enter a “massive variety of marketplaces” and scale operations up to “hundreds of motor vehicles” in 2023.

NHTSA stated the difficulties “may perhaps introduce various possible dangers this sort of as a collision with a Cruise motor vehicle, risk to a stranded passenger exiting an immobilized Cruise car or truck, or obstruction of other visitors such as unexpected emergency autos.”

The agency explained it has three reports of Cruise cars automated driving system “initiating a tricky braking maneuver in response to yet another highway user that was speedily approaching from the rear. In every single circumstance, the other road user subsequently struck the rear of the Ads-outfitted automobile.”

Cruise said law enforcement did not ticket their motor vehicles in any of the three crashes.

NHTSA stated it has been notified of multiple stories involving Cruise automobiles running without the need of onboard human supervision starting to be immobilized, which “may possibly strand car or truck travellers in unsafe locations, such as lanes of vacation or intersections, and become an surprising obstacle to other highway buyers.”

Cruise in September recalled and current program in 80 self-driving autos following a June crash in San Francisco that remaining two people hurt. NHTSA claimed the recalled application could “incorrectly predict” an oncoming vehicle’s path. Cruise claimed it experienced identified this abnormal circumstance would not recur following the update.

GM and Cruise in February disclosed they petitioned NHTSA for authorization to deploy some self-driving vehicles without the need of steering wheels, mirrors, change alerts or windshield wipers. That petition is however pending.