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Under a state law that passed in 2017, autonomous vehicles can operate in Texas without a driver inside and can be used on highways as long as they can follow traffic laws. The cars also are required to have insurance like other cars and be equipped with video recording equipment. Manufacturers are considered responsible for any broken laws or collisions. Truly driverless cars with no humans ready to take over are already cruising around Austin. Last year, driverless vehicle startup Argo AI announced it had began operating its autonomous test vehicles in Austin without human safety drivers. The vehicles are primarily operating downtown, as well as in east and south Austin, with the initial passengers being Argo AI employees who are able to stop or trigger the vehicle to pull over in case of emergency.
Why are so many autonomous vehicle companies testing in Austin?
Argo AI had been operating in Austin since 2019 in partnership with Ford Motor Company, and Ford has been deploying prototypes in Austin to establish the city as a proving ground for autonomous vehicle technology. “That tells us the company didn't have enough faith in their own technology to operate in the basic urban driving conditions humans deal with every single day,” Qadri said. The California-based company, which is a subsidiary of General Motors, announced the change Thursday evening in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
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The announcement came just two days after the company paused services in California after the California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended the company’s testing and deployment permits. The goal of the council was to put Austinites at ease that the city is doing their part to be responsive of the community's concerns and are working to make Austin's roads safer. Both pointed to limited state regulations in place and the lack of ability the city holds to regulate self-driving vehicles. Videos on social media show Cruise's vehicles on the streets of Austin causing traffic jams and other problems. Council Member Paige Ellis, who chairs the city’s mobility committee, said Austinites had complained the city wasn’t doing enough to vet Cruise. The city is limited in its ability to regulate self-driving cars, she said.
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Unlike Cruise, Argo AI vehicles still had an employee in the front seat to monitor the trip. “It works very much like a traditional ride-hail," Prichard said. "We have an app where you can summon a car to you in downtown and also central Austin, and it picks you up from your location." “What I'm really excited about is we're going from zero footprint, no maps, no infrastructure on the ground -- to our first revenue-generating driverless rides in about 90 days. The company has been operating a ride-hailing service in San Francisco and received permission to start charging customers for rides this year. In Austin, the company expects to move quickly to get its service operational, Vogt said.
Another report stated that a Cruise AV crashed into a brick wall on Austin’s West Avenue on Aug. 23 and because it didn’t have a steering wheel, there was no way for emergency personnel to quickly move it. An alert appeared on the screens hanging from the front seats, the car stopped for a moment, then we heard a human voice coming through a speaker, asking if everything was okay. Painted orange and white, the sedan had room for five people in back. On the roof, it had a mounted structure for all the cameras and sensors. Since there's no driver, passengers use their phones to unlock the car, she said. Once they get in and buckle their seatbelts, they press "start your ride" and the trip begins.
Self-driving car company Cruise aims to launch in Austin by end of year
There are about 125 autonomous vehicles, or AVs, operating in Austin, according to a city Transportation and Public Works Department memorandum. There’s always a balance between healthy regulatory scrutiny and the innovation we desperately need to save lives, which is why we’ll continue to fully cooperate with NHTSA or any regulator in achieving that shared goal." Next year, however, the company plans to deploy an electric vehicle outfitted specifically for autonomous ride-hail — called the "Origin" — that will fit six people and have no steering wheel or pedals. Cruise's fleet is made up of Chevy Bolt electric vehicles that have been retrofitted with sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar that make it possible for them to operate autonomously, according to the company.
The company already has the permits needed for commercial ride-hall and delivery operations in Phoenix. Under a separate state law, passed in 2021, political subdivisions of the state, such as cities, are also forbidden from regulating automated driving systems or automated motor systems. "We think it’s the right thing to do during a period when we need to be extra vigilant when it comes to risk, relentlessly focused on safety, and taking steps to rebuild public trust."
The region, which has been a testbed of self-driving technology, is currently being used by Waymo and Volkswagen to test its vehicles. All three council members expressed concerns related to public safety, complaints from the community and the city’s inability to regulate the vehicles. Friday morning, a Cruise spokesperson confirmed rideshare was paused in Austin. The Cruise app also read "We've temporarily paused our service," with an option to be notified once it restarted. ““We think it’s the right thing to do during a period when we need to be extra vigilant when it comes to risk, relentlessly focused on safety, & taking steps to rebuild public trust,” the company said. "And the fact that it's in a testing phase but there's not the safeguard of a human in the front concerns me."
The company said it is able to scale up in Austin quickly because of the work it has done in California. We’re working to bring new transportation options that work for you and your community. Officials with the company added that the decision was not due to any "new on-road incidents."
He pointed to Cruise's tendency to avoid larger streets, special events, higher volume traffic and inclement weather. The two hope Cruise's decision to halt all operations nationwide is an eye-opener to state lawmakers. Cruise cars are coded to default to the safest possible action — even if that sometimes means stopping in the middle of a road with hazards flashing when a danger is detected. There is currently an investigation into Cruise LLC, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, after reports that the vehicles had some instances of hard braking. “As someone who has honestly dealt with Cruise cars myself … it never seemed like they were ready for prime time,” he said. "Cruise is so solid even on narrow streets — the steering wheel has no jitter, totally smooth each block."
California's suspension of Cruise self-driving cars wont impact Texas operations, company says - KEYE TV CBS Austin
California's suspension of Cruise self-driving cars wont impact Texas operations, company says.
Posted: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Prichard expects the cars to be street-ready for customers after this process, which she said will likely be by the end of the year or early 2023. Despite this testing protocol, Prichard said many people still distrust the technology. She said the best way to overcome this fear is to get people to just take a ride.
California led the nation with 66% of reported accidents, followed by Arizona with 15%, Texas with 6% and Florida with 4%. An AV is equipped with sensors — cameras, radar and lidar (light detection and ranging) — that provide a complete view of the world around it. The data from these sensors feed the car’s artificial intelligence brain in real time, enabling it to make decisions such as choosing a route, identifying traffic lights, road signals and objects.
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