GM repurposes robotaxi fleet to test autonomous driving technology

General Motors has put vehicles enabled with technology used in its failed robotaxi venture Cruise back onto the road. 

The Detroit automaker confirmed that it would accelerate development of GM’s hands-free, eyes-off advanced driver assist system by “testing a limited number of Cruise Bolt vehicles on select highways in Michigan, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area,” according to a statement made to the Detroit Free Press.

The platform underpinning the vehicles, however, is new – built by GM and former engineers that integrates technology of its advanced driver assist system, Super Cruise.

GM began testing in Michigan and Texas in February and in San Francisco in mid-April, the company said July 7. The cars operate with safety drivers, which are trained personnel who can take over control of the vehicle if needed.

“The internal testing with trained drivers integrates autonomous technologies with Super Cruise for simulation purposes and does not involve public passengers,” the statement also read. 

GM’s testing was first reported by Wired magazine, which noticed a GM Bolt in San Francisco featuring the lidar sensors on the roof that Cruise’s ride-hailing system utilized. Lidar, which stands for light detection and ranging, uses laser pulses to measure distances similarly to how bats use sound with echolocation. The time it takes for the light to return to the sensor is how it can calculate distance between the vehicle and surrounding objects, including three-dimensional shapes.

GM said in December 2024 that it would no longer support Cruise for self-driving commercial development. The automaker said it will combine Cruise and GM technical teams into a single effort to advance autonomous and assisted driving in personal cars.

GM completed its purchase of the remaining 3% of Cruise stock and laid off half its remaining workforce in February, impacting 1,000 jobs. At its peak, Cruise operated in San Francisco, Austin, Texas and Phoenix.