General Motors CEO Mary Barra is has expressed her desire to have personal autonomous vehicles by 2030.
Autonomous and self-driving vehicles are the next major evolution of the automotive industry. Early studies have shown autonomous vehicles can significantly reduce accidents and fatalities. Autonomous vehicles also promise to revolutionize the entire driving experience, freeing individuals from the tedium of actually driving. Instead, the daily commute could eventually be used to relax, watch TV or engage in any number of other activities.
Many companies are focusing their self-driving efforts primarily on fleet vehicles, ride-sharing and other commercial applications. GM CEO Mary Barra, however, wants to see autonomous personal vehicles from GM by 2030.
“There’s a lot to still unfold, but I believe we’ll have personal autonomous vehicles and then that will leverage the capability we have at Cruise with the capability that we have at the car company to really be well positioned to delight the customers from that perspective,” Barra said, according to TechCrunch. “So both paths are very important because the technology we put on vehicles today I think makes them safer and delights the customers and is going to give us an opportunity for subscription revenue, and then the ultimate work that we’re doing at Cruise, that is full autonomous, really opens up, you know, more possibilities then I think we can outline today.”
GM has taken a measured approach to autonomous driving. Given that, Barra’s statement will likely put pressure on any slower-moving companies to pick up the pace.