GM puts self-driving car without steering wheel and pedals on hold

Reuters reported on Tuesday that General Motors' self-driving technology company, Cruise, will not use Origin Shuttle for its robot cabs. [Instead, Cruise will use the next-generation version of the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is scheduled for launch in 2025.

Using a regular production model with a steering wheel and pedals will cut costs and avoid regulatory issues associated with getting approval to use vehicles like the Origin on public roads, GM said in a statement to Reuters. [According to Reuters, GM has applied to NHTSA for permission to deploy up to 2,500 Origins in 2022, but NHTSA has not yet responded to the request.

The Origin, powered by GM's Ultium EV platform and battery technology, was first unveiled in 2020, with several units built; a prototype was seen test-driving in 2022; and in 2022, a prototype of the Origin was seen in the U.S. in a test run.

Reuters reported that Origin plans are on hold indefinitely and it is not clear if GM will use the shuttle in the future.

Cruise will use the current Bolt EV for development purposes, and the compact electric crossover remains the only vehicle in Cruise's robot cab fleet; GM also showed a version of the current Bolt EV without a steering wheel and pedals in early 2018.

Cruise was one of the more promising companies in the robo-taxi competition, with service in several cities. However, an accident involving one of its robot cabs in San Francisco last October resulted in a nationwide shutdown of the vehicles; since May, Cruise has gradually resumed service in Phoenix and Dallas, but with a safety driver at the wheel.

Cruise has been under special scrutiny since the accident in which a female pedestrian was struck by another vehicle in the next lane and thrown into the path of a robot cab. The driver of the non-Cruz vehicle fled the scene.

Cruz's robot cab braked hard to avoid impact, but still made contact with the pedestrian. After the initial stop, the robot cab continued to try to stop another 20 feet or so, which Cruz stated was to avoid further traffic safety issues. However, this maneuver caused the robot cab to drag the pedestrian behind it.