- GM has begun road-testing their next-gen autonomous technology.
- It will allow for “eyes off” operation on highways starting in 2028.
- Technology debuts on Escalade IQ, but will spread to other models.
GM’s autonomous driving efforts have been hit or miss as Super Cruise is fantastic, but Cruise was a real drag. However, they’re pushing ahead with road tests of their next-generation system.
As the automaker announced last fall, they’re working on a new “eyes-off” driving system that will be launched on the Cadillac Escalade IQ in 2028. It will enable the electric luxury vehicle to travel on the highway without oversight. This means ‘drivers’ will be free to relax and enjoy themselves, while the vehicle does all the hard work.
More: Eyes-Off Driving And Google’s Gemini AI Coming To A GM Car Near You
This is made possible by a multitude of cameras and sensors including lidar and radar. They’re accompanied by a new centralized computing architecture, which is the brains of the system.
General Motors hasn’t revealed too much at this point, but turquoise lights will be illuminated inside and outside the vehicle when it’s being driven autonomously. This will alert the driver when they can stop paying attention as well as give a heads up to other road users.
Testing Begins
Real-world road tests begin this week on limited access highways in California and Michigan. There are plans to have 200 prototypes take part and GM said each will have a trained test driver, who can take manual control at any time, if necessary.
However, interventions should be rare as the system builds on the more than 800 million miles (1.29 billion km) driven by customers using Super Cruise. On top of that, the company baked in learnings from the more than 5 million (8 million km) fully autonomous miles logged by Cruise.
The automaker said “real-world testing is essential to build a trustworthy system” and added that “data captured during this new phase will feed directly back into GM’s development cycle, improving the AI driving model and overall system robustness.” The company went on to say the upcoming system will be available on everything from mainstream Chevys to premium Cadillacs.
