Speaking at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Orlando, Florida, last weekend, General Motors Vice President of Global Research and Development, Alan Taub, indicated that the automaker believes cars that can partially drive themselves will be available by mid-decade and foresees vehicles with far more sophisticated autonomous capabilities arriving on the scene by 2020.
Taub cited GM's new low-cost camera-based crash avoidance system as well as more advanced vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications systems that can be embedded into the car or downloaded on the owner's smartphone/personal mobile device as two areas the firm is now aggressively pursuing. "The technologies we're developing will provide an added convenience by partially or even completely taking over the driving duties," Taub said.
Last week, GM presented information regarding the next-generation of its electric-powered autonomous urban mobility concept vehicle -- which will henceforth carry a Chevrolet EN-V badge.
However, Taub is convinced that many of the innovative solutions to be implemented in the upcoming EN-V also have broader applications in larger conventional cars and trucks. "Future generation safety systems will eliminate the crash altogether by interceding on behalf of drivers before they're even aware of a hazardous situation. GM has made a commitment to be at the forefront of this development."