Autonomous Chevrolet Bolt EVs charge (get it?) into San Francisco
When General Motors decided to bolster its autonomous-driving portfolio with the acquisition of Cruise Automation, along with its $500 million investment in ridesharing company Lyft, it was pretty easy to figure out where the company was headed. Now, on the streets of San Francisco, we're finally seeing the General's plans come to fruition.
This should have two benefits for the company. One, it's able to test its autonomous software on the streets of a busy city for later use in passenger vehicles. Two, it will prove the viability of ridesharing using autonomous vehicles. Both will ease congestion and reduce overall vehicle count in a city that could use it.
In fact, San Francisco itself admits that it has a traffic problem. A hefty majority of its Smart City Challenge project involves moving commuters to either autonomous public transportation or other methods of mobility, including ridesharing. And with investments in both autonomy and alteate methods of travel, GM looks poised to jump on that.
But GM isn't the only company getting in on this action. Uber is now testing autonomous vehicles on public roads, as well. Its first test car, a Ford Fusion Hybrid, is out and about on the mean streets of Pittsburgh.