[msb-alumni] GM completes production of 130 self-driving Chevrolet Bolts
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2017 16:26:18 -0400
BlankGM completes production of 130 self-driving Chevrolet Bolts Brent Snavely
,
Detroit Free Press
GM announced today it has finished making 130'autonomous
Chevrolet Bolt test vehicles at its plant in Lake Orion, an achievement that
the
automaker says will help put it at the forefront of the race to develop
and deploy self-driving cars. Although they are only in the testing'stage, the
automaker said it is now capable of mass producing autonomous vehicles,
a milestone that puts it at the forefront of the race towards developing and
selling driverless cars to the general public. CEO and Chairman Mary Barra
said GM is the only automaker capable of building autonomous a high-volume
autonomous vehicles in its assembly plant. Related: "The autonomous vehicles
you see here today are purpose built, self-driving test vehicles," Barra said
before several hundred employees gathered at the plant this morning. "The
level of integration in these vehicles is on par with any of our production
vehicles, and that is a great advantage. In fact, no other company today has
the unique and necessary combination of technology, engineering and
manufacturing ability to build autonomous vehicles at scale. The version of the
Chevrolet
Bolt autonomous vehicles unveiled today at the company's Orion Assembly Plant
are the second generation of near-level four autonomous vehicles. They are
equipped with the latest array of equipment, including LIDAR, cameras, radar,
sensors and other hardware designed and built by GM and its suppliers. Orion
Assembly Plant workers listen to GM Chairwoman and CEO Mary Barra talk about
the
autonomous Chevy Bolt that's being built at their plant in Orion Township
on June 13, 2017. (Photo: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press) The new version of
the
self-driving Bolts'must still be driven with a person behind the wheel
who is alert and ready to take control if necessary. The white Bolt displayed
by
GM today can be easily spotted as an autonomous test car because of a
roof rack with silver and black lidar modules and cameras, side-mounted
articulating white radar units that look like two small boxes stacked on top of
each other that are used to monitor cross traffic and extra cameras mounted on
the front. 'There are even a couple of cameras that are dedicated just to
seeing traffic lights to make sure you don't run red lights,' said Kyle Vogt,
CEO of Cruise Automation. The automaker had already built about 50 Chevrolet
Bolt autonomous vehicles that were retrofitted with the specialized sensors
needed to drive themselves. That gives the automaker a total of 180 vehicles
it can test and refine. GM began testing the first generation of its
self-driving Chevrolet Bolts last June'in Detroit, Scottsdale, Ariz. and San
Francisco.
Barra said testing of the new version of the self-driving Bolts will begin
soon.
GM began making the second-generation Chevrolet Bolt in January and now
has enough vehicles to test and learn from the vehicles, said Andrew Farah, the
chief technical officer for the self-driving Bolt. Farah said GM wants
to learn from this version of the vehicle before it begins making more of them.
GM has been aggressively working to put together the pieces of the puzzle
it needs to be a leader when it comes to driverless vehicles. In 2016, the
automaker invested $581 million last year to acquire Cruise Automation, a
developer
of the software necessary to guide self-driving cars and invested $500 million
in ride-sharing company Lyft. GM is in the process of hiring 1,163 additional
engineers and other employees to Cruise Automation and is moving the company to
a new headquarters in San Francisco. And earlier this year, GM CFO vowed
that the automaker would run its autonomous vehicle development like a Silicon
Valley start-up, sinking $600 million annually, or $150 million per quarter
into the effort. Barra also said in December 2016 the automaker would be the
first company to build autonomous test vehicles in a mass-production assembly
plant announced it had picked Orion Assembly, where it builds the Chevrolet
Bolt
electric vehicle, as the location. The Chevrolet Bolt or Chevrolet Bolt
EV is a front-engine, five-door all-electric subcompact hatchback with an
all-electric range of 238 miles. The electric version of the Bolt has been
highly
acclaimed, earning the award as the North American Car of the Year, Motor Trend
Car of the Year, Detroit Free Press Car of the Year and other awards.
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