U.S. to decide soon on GM’s request to deploy cars without steering wheels::U.S. regulators will soon decide on a petition filed by General Motors’ Cruise self-driving technology unit seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls, a top auto safety official said on Wednesday.
This is Level 4 automation, and even it needs a human override. Can’t override without a steering wheel.
I think this whole plan is just a gimmick to dangle that carrot in front of the public, fooling them into thinking Level 5 full automation is just around the corner, when it really, really, really isn’t.
The override system likely exists. It obviously exists now as remote operators can intervene on the current fleet without being present.
The human override is done by an employee in a control center, not by the passengers. They can and do override without using the steering wheel, and that’s never going to change. The steering wheels are already obsolete, because passengers aren’t even allowed to sit up front or touch the wheel.
This is as level 5 as we’re ever going to get.