GM Requests Green Light to Ditch Steering Wheel in Its Self-driving Cars
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General Motors has asked regulators to allow it to test a limited number of autonomous cars without a steering wheel. Currently, all self-driving cars have one in place, with most also including a back-up driver ready to step in if something goes awry. The NHTSA is expected to respond to General Motors' request soon.
[...] Cruise, the autonomous-car unit of General Motors, wants to start testing its self-driving cars sans steering wheel. Indeed, it's already produced a video (above) showing what such a design might look like.
Current National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations, which were created at a time when self-driving cars were the stuff of science fiction, mean that vehicles have to include essential safety features such as a steering wheel and brake pedal. But the emergence of robot cars has put these rules under the spotlight. According to a recent Reuters report, the NHTSA has confirmed it's in talks with GM, which is asking for permission to test a limited number of autonomous cars without steering wheels or any other type of manual controls.GM first raised the idea with the NHTSA at the beginning of 2018, and last week James Owens, the agency's acting administrator, appeared to be warming to the idea."I expect we're going to be able to move forward with these petitions soon - as soon as we can," Owens told Reuters, adding that it would "definitely" arrive at a decision sometime next year. He described the removal of manual controls from a self-driving car as "a big deal" because it would be the first time for such action to be taken - marking a major milestone in the road to autonomous cars.But U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who has been discussing GM's petition with the NHTSA, sounded a note of caution, noting how on a number of occasions autonomous-car companies have had to reevaluate their ambitious plans. Even GM said recently that it would have to delay the launch of a proposed robo-taxi service because its technology isn't quite ready.
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