GM Cruise Ditches Boxy Robotaxis for Chevy Bolt EVs

GM’s self-driving subsidiary Cruise has officially thrown in the towel on its Origin robotaxis, so don’t expect to get into one of those futuristic autonomous cubes anytime soon. The vehicle was designed as a look into the future of self-driving rideshare services with a spacious, boxy design and no driver controls to speak of. The radical concept is now being dropped in favor of cheaper Chevy Bolts.

According to Tech Crunch, GM CEO Mary Barra told shareholders that the switch from Origin robotaxis to next-gen Bolts is to “simplify their path to scale.” Translating that from CEO speak, Bolts are significantly cheaper and don’t face any regulatory hurdles from being completely driverless. Since the Origin robotaxi lacks the ability to even have a driver, and what GM calls “campfire seating,” it doesn’t yet meet regulatory standards. So even though there’s no official word on what the next-gen Bolt will be like, or what sort of autonomy it will have for customers, it’s going to be the basis for Cruise’s next vehicle.

“GM and Cruise are optimizing resources to focus development of our next autonomous vehicle on the next generation Bolt instead of the Origin,” a GM spokesperson told The Drive. “This shift creates a more cost-effective and scalable option for pursuing an autonomous future faster, while avoiding the uncertain path to regulatory compliance in the U.S. that could impede scaling of the Origin. The Origin does not include a steering wheel and brake pedals and uses campfire seating, a design that is currently not permitted.”

It’s worth noting the timing of this switch. Cruise has had some very public incidents in the past year, causing the state of California to crack down and even suspend the company’s permits to test self-driving cars after it failed to cooperate with an investigation. Cruise paid a fine to get its operations back underway in California but the damage to its public perception is done. With a second-quarter operating loss of $1.14 billion, Cruise can’t exactly afford to keep investing in the Origin. Switching to the Bolt not only saves Cruise money but it’s arguably a better advertisement for Chevy’s self-driving tech in consumer vehicles, even though those are limited to Level 2 Super Cruise instead of Level 4 like the robotaxis.

Updated at 1:15 p.m. ET on 07/23/2023: This story now includes General Motors’ statement given to The Drive.

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