GM announces completed production of 130 autonomous Chevy Bolt EVs | Hacker News Reader

GM announces completed production of 130 autonomous Chevy Bolt EVs

electrek.co

44 pointsElement_10 comments

I went to a talk a few months ago on autonomous vehicles that was headlined by a guy from GM. Very fascinating perspective that they seem to have.

The term the speaker used that stuck with me was "peak car". The idea that between ride-sharing (uber), self-driving, and the move back to the cities, we are already at a point where we are producing fewer vehicles per person than before, and that this trend is going to continue downward.

This is why they bought Cruise, why they're building Bolt EVs, why they're doing a lot of their biggest projects right now- to survive the transition from a creator of consumer goods.

GM isn't just doing well, or carving out a niche for themselves, they are the force to be reckoned with in the robotaxi space.

GM's magic ingredient is Kyle Vogt, YC alum and founder of Cruise. He's a guy with something to prove, and an emerging leader, up there at the calibre of Jobs, Musk, Bezos etc. Like the others Vogt has a superhuman proclivity to execute, and unlike the others he's a man of few words who prefers to stay out of the spotlight.

None of the other autonomous driving divisions are led by someone with the same drive and vision.

While it's certainly a glowing report, do you have any ways to back up what you're saying? Do you work with him?

I don't work with him, I wouldn't be allowed to talk if I did. He showed up on my radar after selling Twitch to Amazon, then starting Cruise in 2013. Seemed like an odd thing for him to do, but his company has been making steady, rapid progress since then, and now with the full force of GM, the Bolt, GM's $500 million investment in and partnership with Lyft, and Maven, GM's foray into fleet management.

With 180 L4 ready vehicles on the road, they're now operating at the biggest scale of anyone. All the other autonomous driving programs are in various states of clusterfuck. Heads have been rolling at Tesla, and that Mobileye fallout really left them in the lurch. All the top talent has left Waymo, and Waymo abandoned a deal with Ford that left Ford scrambling. Uber is a total disaster. Cruise's record has been spotless.

So how did Vogt manage to find himself better positioned than anyone in the most disruptive industry to come out of Silicon Valley? I don't know either, but I chalk it up to more than dumb luck. They are now running a production line for autonomous vehicles with proper hardware. Disengagements for 2016 averaged 1 per 180 miles in 2016, and while driving in hectic downtown SF traffic[1]. Autonomous Bolts now have their own production line, they're just going to keep building them. The plan is to have thousands on the roads for 2018[2]. GM smells blood. Kyle is a mighty good leader.

[1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tA_VvHP0-s [2]http://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-autonomous-exclusive-id...

Why not apply for a job?

I see the Cruise autonomous Bolts nearly every day in SF now. It's weird how fast it went from a curiosity to just normal.

How are they in terms of safe driving? I saw one youtube video[0] where a pedestrian had to stop because the car went when probably it should have waited for the pedestrian. Now, I've probably done that a few times as a driver too, but the hope is that these automated cars will do better.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSRPmng1cmA&t=1m55s

the major factor in GM's favor is the depth of their supply chain and depth of expertise they have in all facets of this business. that they have made some really good acquisitions only makes their case stronger.

not many of the large auto makers are making announcements similar, most make note of future plans but not many say "today"

Has anyone driven in an autonomous Chevy Bolt? If so, I'd love to hear about your experience.

I read this as "enormous Chevy Bolt EVs".

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