General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) has revealed that it is already testing its self-driving technology in Arizona.
The company is carrying out the testing through a startup called Cruise Automation that it acquired a few months ago. The acquisition has expanded the testing for its autonomous system to Arizona. Scottsdale residents should expect to see the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles used in the project passing through the streets.
The company’s plan is to increase the number of testing locations so that vehicles can be subjected to different conditions. The company has been testing the technology in San Francisco since May. Cruise Automation announced the new changes via Twitter.
GM expected to commence the mass production of the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt later on this year. Though its autonomous vehicle testing is not as comprehensive as that of Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), the firm believes that its autonomous technology has a bright future. Google has been testing its self-driving cars in Washington, Kirkland, Austin, and throughout California. It recently started testing the technology in Phoenix, Arizona. However, Google is yet to reveal its plans for the technology as opposed to GM’s intentions which are clearer.
GM recently announced that it was working together with ride-sharing firm Lyft through its Maven Mobility brand. The idea is to use the driverless technology for ride-sharing services in the future. General Motors has also announced a job opening for an automated vehicle instructor in Scottsdale. The person who will qualify for the position will assist in testing and improving the performance of the autonomous vehicles.
There were earlier reports that Cruise Automation had taken up new facilities in Phoenix. However, GM had not revealed any details regarding the plans for the facility. Phoenix has recently become one of the most preferred testing sites for autonomous technology. This is because of the low operating costs in the state as well as the availability of skilled individuals from local universities.
