by General Motors’ autonomous vehicle division, Cruise, is facing multiple challenges as it grapples with safety issues and production pauses. California’s Department of Motor Vehicles recently suspended Cruise’s driverless permits due to safety concerns. Furthermore, it has been reported that Cruise vehicles have had difficulties recognizing and responding to children, leading to potential risks on the road. The company has also admitted that its robotaxis require human assistance every few miles during operation. In light of these issues, Cruise has temporarily halted production of its fully autonomous Origin transport.
According to internal safety assessment materials obtained by The Intercept, Cruise was aware of its vehicles’ limitations in detecting children but continued to deploy them on the streets. The documents revealed that the AVs had trouble effectively recognizing children and lacked data specific to child-specific situations, such as children separating from adults, falling, riding bicycles, or wearing costumes. In one test drive, a vehicle struck a child-sized dummy despite detecting it, indicating inadequate software and testing. Cruise admitted that vehicles sometimes lost track of children during simulation testing but claimed to have resolved the issue, ensuring the problem did not occur on public roads. However, the company did not disclose how it addressed the issue.
The report also highlighted the AVs’ difficulty in detecting large holes, such as construction site pits, posing a significant risk to both passengers and surrounding workers. GM’s internal documents acknowledged that its small AV fleet was likely to encounter such hazards at least once a year, potentially jeopardizing the safety of individuals within the pit. Video evidence reviewed by The Intercept showed an AV driving dangerously close to a pit with workers inside, narrowly avoiding a potential accident only because a worker waved a slow sign in front of the vehicle. While Cruise stated that it has made extensive improvements to enhance the vehicle’s ability to detect hazards near construction zones, this incident raises concerns about the company’s overall safety protocols.
These revelations have sparked concerns about Cruise’s continued operation of its vehicles on public roads. Even with low probabilities, the inability to effectively detect children and hazards undermines the perception of these vehicles as safe and reliable. Phil Koopman, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, emphasized the importance of addressing these issues, stating, “If you can’t see kids, it’s very hard for you to accept that it’s not high-risk, no matter how infrequent you think it’s going to happen.”
Moreover, it has been disclosed that Cruise AVs are not truly autonomous and require human assistance every few miles. According to Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, human intervention is necessary in complex urban environments, with remote assistance required approximately every four to five miles. This assistance involves providing wayfinding information to the AV and is undertaken by remote assistants. While Cruise asserts that remote assistance is minimal, occurring only 2-4% of the time, this reliance on human intervention raises questions about the true autonomy of the vehicles.
Amidst these issues, Cruise’s production of its Origin autonomous vehicle has also been temporarily paused. This decision comes after the California DMV suspended Cruise’s license. In an internal meeting, Vogt announced the production pause, citing uncertainty due to the license suspension. A GM spokesperson confirmed the production pause but clarified that a small number of pre-commercial vehicles would still be completed. Cruise is currently operating its AVs in California with a human backup driver at the wheel.
However, there may be a path for Cruise to resume driverless operations in California. The DMV has provided the company with steps to apply and reinstate their suspended permits. The DMV will only approve the permits once Cruise fulfills the department’s requirements to its satisfaction.
As Cruise navigates these challenges, it must prioritize addressing safety concerns, enhancing its AVs’ capabilities, and eliminating the need for frequent human assistance. The company must regain the public’s trust and ensure that its vehicles are truly autonomous and safe for deployment on public roads.
Money Singh is a seasoned content writer with over four years of experience in the market research sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages, biotechnology, chemicals and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods, etc.
