GM Tests Driverless Car on Public Roads

Several cities in the United States have previously expressed their reservations on driverless vehicles, but San Francisco remains to be an exemption. In 2015, the San Francisco’s city government gave Audi the approval to operate its autonomous Audi A7. It also gave Tesla’s Model S the green light this year.

Now, General Motors’ Super Cruise has been given permission to test its self-driving technology on the streets of San Francisco after earning approval from the California DMV in October.

In the last five years or so, the automaker has conducted 2 million miles’ worth of testing and now it is looking to determine if the technology is indeed safe for public use. And based on a video showing the Super Cruise, it looks ready for the job.

For precautionary measures, there is still someone in the passenger seat who can access the emergency switch of the vehicle while the tests are ongoing. This ensures that the vehicle can be stopped in case a malfunction occurs.

Overall, the self-driving car shows impressive capability and didn’t run into problems all throughout the tests. However, GM is aware there is still work to be done to enhance its technology.

Asked whether remote operators can take control of the car when necessary, Cruise CEO Dan Amman declined to comment, perhaps to avoid strangers from thinking they can get access to the vehicle.