Self-driving car developer Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, has decided to abandon plans to create the Origin, its own robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals. Instead, the company will continue to use the new generation Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles, complemented by Cruise electronics.
Image Source: Cruise
GM CEO Mary Barra told shareholders this week that the decision to abandon further development of Origin would “smooth the company’s path to scale” and remove regulatory uncertainty that has arisen from the robotaxi’s unusual design. In addition, unit costs will be significantly reduced, which will help Cruise optimize its resources.
At the end of the second quarter, GM reported expenses of $583 million related to the write-down of Origin assets and other restructuring costs. Cruise posted an operating loss of $1.14 billion in the second quarter, which included $605 million in asset impairment charges.
Thus, the statement by the head of GM means that the project to create unmanned shuttles without conventional control units is virtually dead, despite the fact that GM once stated that in the future the number of Origin cars will be in the tens of thousands. At the same time, Cruise plans to use the new all-electric Chevrolet Bolt, production of which is scheduled to begin in 2025.
GM declined to comment on when the first autonomous and all-electric Chevrolet Bolt might appear on public roads. “GM and Cruise are optimizing resources to focus development of our next autonomous vehicle on the next-generation Bolt instead of the Origin,” a GM spokesperson said in a statement. This approach would create a more cost-effective and scalable option for moving toward an autonomous future without having to deal with the regulatory uncertainty in the US that could have been a problem if Origin moved forward. Let us remind you that Origin has no steering wheel or pedals, and passengers are seated in two rows facing each other.