Autonomous driving systems are a priority for several automakers, including General Motors (GM), which offers Super Cruise, considered one of the best in the industry.
That Super Cruise is a Level 2 autonomous driving system, just like Tesla's AutoPilot. What that means is that, regardless of the system's capabilities, drivers must always be in intervention mode.
With a Level 3 system, drivers can let go of the steering wheel, but also take their eyes off the road under certain conditions. However, they must be ready to take the wheel again at any time.
The news that GM is working on a Level 3 system was recently confirmed to TechCrunch by Dave Richardson, the company's Senior VP of Software Engineering and Services. He called Super Cruise “an industry-leading L2 solution for hands off, eyes on.” But he said that GM is “looking aggressively to make that an L3 solution, where you don’t even have to look at the road anymore.”
In June, Stellantis also said it was working on a Level 3 system.
GM’s Richardson didn't mention when the company planned to be able to launch a Level 3 system, but he made it clear that the system would only be launched when it was robust and reliable. Otherwise, users would quickly lose confidence in it.
In the meantime, GM will continue to improve its Super Cruise system, notably by using some of the technology to perfect other functions offered. Super Cruise's driver monitoring system, for example, was recently used to develop a function for detecting distracted drivers.
And as planned from the outset, GM will extend the system to other vehicles in its group of auto brands, while adding kilometers of roads where it will be possible to activate it. Last February, the company announced that by the end of 2025, some 1.2 million km of road could be tracked by the system in Canada and the U.S.
GM's ultimate goal is to have 95 percent of U.S. and Canadian roads known by the Super Cruise system, which will make it possible to take more and more trips from one address to another, and to do so fully autonomously.
So far, GM has ensured that its system is reliable and safe. Let's hope that by adding a level of autonomy, the same rule will be applied to the letter.