GM has finished producing 130 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVs that are equipped with GM's self-driving tech. GM says that they are the first-ever autonomous cars built on a conventional assembly line.
The self-drive Bolts have all of GM's latest tech and sensors, including LIDAR imaging, cameras, and other sensors. The Bolts will join more than 50 already in test fleets in San Francisco, Scottsdale, and Detroit.
Kyle Vogt, head of GM's Cruise Automation autonomous subsidiary, said that "to achieve what we want from self-driving cars, we must deploy them at scale." Building the autonomous test Bolts on the same Orion Assembly plant line as the 2017 Chevrolet Sonic and the regular Bolt EV allows the company to make sure that autonomous production methods are ready for the big time.
The autonomous Bolts have been mixed into regular production since January. GM and Cruise Automation have been testing their self-driving Bolt fleet since last June. The self-drive platform is designed and engineered by Cruise in San Francisco and then built in Michigan.
GM CEO Mary Barra called the mass production test "one step closer to making our vision of personal mobility a reality."
