Matthiesen said both Lyft and GM will want to validate the Cruise Automation system before taking it on public roads. Tech companies including Google have invested heavily in self-driving technology, as has Lyft rival Uber. GM has also been actively developing its self-driving tech for years.
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The vehicle maker giant hopes to use Lyft and its fleet of drivers as customers for the Bolt – set to launch later this year. Now the Chevy Bolt is GM’s all-electric vehicle that is going to cost under $30,000 (it’s actually closer to about $25,000) and will be available in “late 2016”.
The announcement is a power play in the race to autonomous cars.
Details of the autonomous-testing program are still being worked out, according to a Lyft executive, but it will include real customers and based in a yet-to-be disclosed city. It’s quite possible that it could be in MI, given that GM’s world headquarters are in downtown Detroit.
General Motors and Lyft are reportedly moving forward with plans to offer an autonomous taxi service using the Chevrolet Bolt.
Adding, “GM continues to make progress on our previously announced plans related to an integrated on-demand autonomous network with Lyft”.
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In March, the two companies launched a program in Chicago that will allow current Lyft drivers to rent GM cars. It’s unclear how numerous Chevrolet Bolts will be used, but GM is undoubtedly keen to get the electric cars out in front of the public in as significant scale as possible, ahead of Tesla’s direct competitor, the Model 3. Lyft has to contend with Uber, which is building its own autonomous vehicles, and GM has to compete with other auto companies all hoping that they can profit from Silicon Valley’s self serving promotion of robot controlled cars. We have Alphabet who just inked a deal with Fiat Chrysler to use some of their 2017 Pacifica minivans in their test driving fleet, we also have Uber who is working on their own self-driving vehicles.
