Cruise's Origin robotaxi is the right idea at the wrong time

January 22, 2020 | Case Study

Cruise was initially founded to commercialize retrofit autonomous driving systems for passenger vehicles, but since its acquisition by GM and subsequent investments from Honda and SoftBank, among others, it has shifted its focus to autonomous ride-hailing, or robotaxis. The company has to date used modified Chevrolet Bolts for its vehicles, which operated a ride-hailing network for only Cruise employees, but recently announced its first vehicle, the Cruise Origin. The most notable aspect of the electric shuttle's design is the lack of a steering wheel and pedals, or as Cruise calls them, "human controls."