There’s no steering wheel in this car. That’s because GM hopes the modified Chevrolet Bolt will be able to cruise the streets by itself as soon as next year.
Going hands-free: GM says the vehicle, called Cruise AV, is “the first production-ready vehicle built from the start to operate safely on its own, with no driver ... or manual controls.” Others, like Waymo’s bubble car, have been purely prototypes.
Permission to drive? The auto maker has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to allow the vehicle an exemption from safety rules that usually demand controls. If it gets permission, it’ll need to find somewhere to test it—but Arizona, where Waymo currently tests cars without safety drivers, is likely to be high up the list.
Out of control: Not having a steering wheel raises interesting issues for self-driving cars. What happens if the vehicle gets stuck and needs human help to move? Actually, the solution to that might be remote control.
