Because self-driving car For developers, every mile traveled is proof that their technology works and an opportunity to collect data for further improvement. That’s why Cruise, just recently announced that it has completed 1 million miles completely without a driver, calling the achievement one of its most significant milestones. A spokesperson told us that those are miles of driving without a safe driver behind the wheel, and most of them are collected in San Francisco.
If you recall, GM Subsidiary started test rides completely without a driver in the city back in November 2021. It is also the first company to receive a drone deployment license from the California Public Utilities Commission, allowing it to passenger charge for robotaxi trips last June. Based on withdrawal report it sent to California DMVit only has about 30 cars in operation at the beginning of 2022. CNN said it was maintaining a fleet of 100 vehicles last September and is looking to add 5,000 more.
Mo Elshenawy, Cruise’s SVP of engineering, said every mile of it was “filled with complex situations that helped Cruise grow rapidly.” Because the streets of San Francisco are often chaotic and crowded with people, the company was able to collect a lot of useful data to improve its technology. “For example,” Elshenawy wrote in a Blog post, “passing a stop sign in San Francisco 46 times more often than in suburban areas.”
Cruise fed data from each drive into a continuous learning machine, generating millions of permutations of real-world scenarios on the road. That allows the technology to learn from simulated drives and then apply what it learns to real life. Elshenawy continues: “When you review our safety record, the importance of our team’s achievement becomes even more apparent. “To date, riders have made tens of thousands of trips on Cruise AV. In the coming years, millions of people will experience this completely driverless future for themselves.”
Cruise’s announcement comes nearly a month after San Francisco officials sent a letter to California regulators, asking them to slow Cruise (and by Waymo) expansion plan. First, they want to better understand autonomous vehicles, and are concerned about “the hazards and network impacts caused by planned and unplanned AV stops disrupting traffic.” EQUAL New York Times In a recent report, Cruise and Waymo vehicles that stalled have caused traffic jams in San Francisco multiple times in the past. Officials believe these companies must significantly improve their technology before expanding, otherwise they “could quickly deplete emergency response resources and could undermine public confidence.” them into all the autonomous driving technology.”
