They’ve hit the streets in major cities across the country, and now, self-driving vehicles may soon make their entrance into New York City.
Self-driving technology company Cruise Automation, a subsidiary of General Motors, has announced plans to bring autonomous cars to NYC early next year. The mix of pedestrians, vehicles, buses and taxis on the streets of this bustling city make it an ideal testing ground for this innovative technology.
As one of the most densely populated places in the world, “Testing in New York will accelerate the timeline to deploying self-driving cars at scale,” Cruise Automation CEO Kyle Vogt said. “New York City is one of the most densely populated places in the world and provides new opportunities to expose our software to unusual situations, which means we can improve our software at a much faster rate.”
The driverless cars, which are already being tested in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, will be observed on a 5-square-mile section of Lower Manhattan. Until recently, self-driving vehicles were banned on NYC streets due to a law requiring drivers to keep one hand on the wheel at all times. A measure recently passed to allow for self-driving vehicles, with an engineer in the driver’s seat and a second person in the passenger seat.
Learn more about self-driving technology on the official website.