Photo: GM
Not that long ago, American carmaker GM partnered with the Japanese from Honda in a company called Cruise, for the development of a self-driving vehicle called Origin. Despite the past few years being flooded with similar projects being cooked up by other companies, the Origin has somehow managed to become the first such vehicle to near widespread deployment.
GM is not expected to begin making the vehicle at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant in Michigan until early next year, but partner Honda is already planning on deploying it on the streets of Japanese capital Tokyo sometime in the middle of the current decade.
That’s what Honda said this week, when it announced a partnership with two local transportation service providers, Teito Motor and kokusai motorcars, meant to “study and discuss various matters […] including relevant laws and regulations, service designs and a division of roles and responsibilities among collaborating partners.”
Built using the lessons learned with specially converted Chevrolet Bolts, currently doing the rounds for testing purposes in San Francisco, the Cruise Origin makes use of over 40 sensors and a 360-degree view to get its bearings. It uses advanced algorithms to predict and respond to the movement of those around the car, “faster than any human brain.”
What is extremely important for the industry is that the Origin will likely be the world’s first mass produced vehicle with no pedals and no steering wheel, hence no way for a driver in a traditional sense to control it.
The tech deployed on the self-driving machine made by American GM will have to make its way through one of the world’s most congested cities. Back in 2021, navigation solutions provider TomTom ranked the city as the 17th most crowded place on Earth, with close to 1,000 instant traffic jams reported at the time of writing.
That’s what Honda said this week, when it announced a partnership with two local transportation service providers, Teito Motor and kokusai motorcars, meant to “study and discuss various matters […] including relevant laws and regulations, service designs and a division of roles and responsibilities among collaborating partners.”
Built using the lessons learned with specially converted Chevrolet Bolts, currently doing the rounds for testing purposes in San Francisco, the Cruise Origin makes use of over 40 sensors and a 360-degree view to get its bearings. It uses advanced algorithms to predict and respond to the movement of those around the car, “faster than any human brain.”
What is extremely important for the industry is that the Origin will likely be the world’s first mass produced vehicle with no pedals and no steering wheel, hence no way for a driver in a traditional sense to control it.
The tech deployed on the self-driving machine made by American GM will have to make its way through one of the world’s most congested cities. Back in 2021, navigation solutions provider TomTom ranked the city as the 17th most crowded place on Earth, with close to 1,000 instant traffic jams reported at the time of writing.
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