General Motors’ autonomous driving division Cruise Automation is preparing to return to robotaxi testing in Phoenix, Arizona, along with safety drivers in tow.
The resuming of testing comes after a tumultuous period of the autonomous driving company’s existence after GM said it would cut about $1 billion in spending on the unit following growing safety concerns after a Cruise robotaxi ran over a pedestrian who had been hit by another human-driven car. The pedestrian was pulled about 20 ft after becoming pinned under a tire as the robotaxi tried to move off the road.
After that incident, the company disclosed it was under probes by the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission due to the crash. Also, Cruise lost its California Department of Motor Vehicles license to operate driverless vehicles in the state.
This resulted in Cruise suspending all supervised and driverless rides in the U.S. The fallout continued with the resignation of former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt and chief product officer Daniel Kan. Nine other executives were fired.
It is unknown if supervised testing will resume in other cities where Cruise has vehicles in place but there are reports that the company is in talks with 20 different cities about autonomous testing.