January 22, 2020
On Tuesday (Jan 21) Cruise unveiled a production ready autonomous vehicle (AV) called “Origin” in partnership with its parent company, GM and Honda. The Origin is specifically designed for ride sharing.
Dan Ammann, Cruise CEO, stressed that the vehicle is not a concept car. Origin’s big reveal comes six months delayed after Cruise previously planned to launch the public self-driving vehicle service in San Francisco in 2019.
The all electric vehicle doesn’t have manual controls such as a steering wheel, gear shift, side view mirrors, or pedals. The Origin features large spacious interior with bench like seats that face each other. The Origin will come in Cruises trademark colors, orange and black, and designed to operate for 1 million miles. They will equip each AV with digital displays to tell the rider where they are traveling to or from. A keypad on the exterior door is used to enter a code that will open the vehicle. The total experience is controlled through an app much like Lyft or Uber.
During the presentation, Kyle Vogt, Cruise CTO and President, showed the vehicle’s design and technology. Vogt showed a video on how Origin’s radar, cameras and LIDAR laser sensors function as the vehicle’s eyes to help navigate the car and assess surrounding areas while driving autonomously. The doors are similar to a van and slide open instead of hinge outward to accommodate bike riders, large packages and luggage.
Watch the full Cruise Origin Reveal here:
The Origin does not meet U.S. federal regulations known as FMVSS, which specify requirements for autonomous motor vehicles. For now, they can use the Origin on private roads and closed environments such as GM and Honda facilities. Honda Motor agreed to invest $2.75 billion in Cruise once GM first announced its plans to develop a “purpose-built” self-driving vehicle in October 2018.
Cruise has permission to test driverless vehicles on public roads in California however the AV must have a human safety driver on board. Cruise is behind its competitors including Waymo (Google), Pony.ai, AutoX and Zoox, who already have secured permits to test driverless vehicles on California’s roads without that safety driver.
Cruise did not release a start production date or reveal when the Origin will be available to the public.
Photos via Cruise x The Big Magazine