General Motors to launch autonomous ride hailing service by 2019

By Pouyan Broukhim

In its most recent investor update, General Motors (GM) announced that it is aiming to launch a commercial fleet of fully autonomous robo-taxis in conjunction with a new ride hailing service to challenge the likes of Uber and Lyft by 2019.

“If we continue on our current rate of change we will be ready to deploy this technology, in large scale, in the most complex environments, in 2019,” said GM President, Dan Ammann, during the conference call.

See also:

The company is already operating a fleet of self-driving Chevy Volt’s in San Francisco, run by GM’s autonomous driving subsidiary, Cruise Automation.

GM also revealed that it would be able to operate competitively within the ride hailing market upon launch, having announced that the initial cost to passengers will be approximately $1.50 per mile – 40% cheaper than current services operated with a human driver.

The announcement also puts GM in competition with Alphabet, coming less than a month after Waymo revealed that it would be launching its own autonomous vehicle-based ride hailing service in the Phoenix area using Chrysler minivans.

Share

Featured Articles

Hema Gokal: leading the Salesforce women's equality strategy

Always passionate about giving women a seat at the table, Hema Gokal is now spearheading Salesforce’s innovative new global female equality strategy

Top 10 cybersecurity specialists in the US

As cyber attacks grow in frequency and become increasingly sophisticated, Business Chief looks at the top 10 cybersecurity specialists in the US.

Silicon Valley Bank collapse: How did we get here?

US authorities have stepped in to protect all Silicon Valley Bank customers following the second-largest bank failure in the country's history

Top 10 best new leadership books by women to read in 2023

Leadership & Strategy

Eight of the best business leadership podcasts

Leadership & Strategy

CEO John Pagano, leading Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Global

Leadership & Strategy