Car - Robotaxi company Cruise lays off a quarter of its employees
The robotaxi company Cruise, which fell into crisis after an accident, is laying off almost a quarter of its workforce. The subsidiary of car giant General Motors suspended its services a month ago and cut far-reaching expansion plans. As a result, 24 percent of full-time jobs are to be cut, mainly in non-technical areas, according to a published email to employees.
In the accident at the beginning of October, a Cruise driverless car dragged a woman several meters. The pedestrian had previously been hit by another vehicle with a person at the wheel and thrown in front of the self-driving car. According to the accident report, the robotaxi braked immediately - but the woman was still thrown under the vehicle.
The Cruise cars are programmed to automatically pull over to the side of the road in some cases after collisions so as not to obstruct traffic. In this case, the software also decided to do this - even though the woman was still under the car. According to a report by the Californian traffic authority, she was dragged around six meters and the car reached a speed of around eleven kilometers per hour.
Renouncing vehicles without steering wheel and pedals
Cruise has now decided not to put the first vehicles of his "Origin" robotaxi without steering wheel and pedals on the road next year as planned. Instead, Cruise wants to continue to rely on converted cars from the GM electric model Chevy Bolt. Operations will initially only be resumed in one location. In addition to San Francisco, Cruise was on the road in five other US cities and planned to add a dozen more in the coming year.
Last year, San Francisco became a unique test case for self-driving cabs. In addition to Cruise, Google's sister company Waymo also received permission from a Californian supervisory authority in the summer to expand its driverless transportation services throughout the city. The city council and numerous residents were against this. Among other things, they argued that the vehicles frequently blocked traffic. Waymo is allowed to continue offering its robotaxi service throughout San Francisco without a safety driver at the wheel.
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- Despite the layoffs, Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors based in the USA, continues to develop self-driving cars, including robotaxis, with the help of advanced computer technology.
- The accident involving a Cruise self-driving car in San Francisco resulted in a woman being dragged several meters, highlighting the challenges and controversies surrounding the implementation of robotaxis on public roads.
- In response to the accident, Cruise introduced new safety measures, including the vehicle's ability to automatically pull over to the side of the road in certain situations, designed to reduce the risk of traffic disruptions and accidents.
- The incident has led to a crisis within Cruise and raised questions about the safety and preparedness of robotaxi companies in the USA, where companies like General Motors and Waymo are actively testing and deploying self-driving vehicles.
- While some cities, like San Francisco, have been hesitant to fully embrace the use of robotaxis due to traffic concerns and safety issues, others, such as the EU, have yet to provide funding or regulatory support for the deployment of self-driving cars.
- The future of the robotaxi industry in the USA remains uncertain, as companies like Cruise and Waymo continue to face challenges and criticism related to safety, technology, and public acceptance.
- The incident highlights the need for ongoing research and collaboration between government entities, automobile manufacturers, and technology companies to ensure that self-driving cars are developed and deployed safely and responsibly, benefiting both the environment and society as a whole.
Source: www.stern.de
