Path to Autonomous
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“The Henry Ford is a treasured institution where past and present innovations are documented and displayed, and GM is proud to provide our autonomous test vehicle to serve as an inspiration to the innovators of tomorrow.”
- General Motors President Mark Reuss
At General Motors, we believe self-driving cars will change the world, and we’re at a pivotal point when people will be able to experience them in the near future and we’re excited about that. We recently donated one of General Motors’ first publicly driven self-driving vehicles to The Henry Ford Museum, an internationally recognized history destination that honors the innovations that helped shape America. The modified pre-production Chevrolet Bolt EV is the first autonomous car in the Dearborn, Michigan museum’s collection of 26 million artifacts.
A significant step in self-driving technology
The car began testing on the streets of San Francisco in 2016 and is a significant step in the development of self-driving technology. It was developed in close collaboration with Cruise Automation and represents our unique approach to building AVs from the ground up, seamlessly integrating the self-driving system into the vehicle. The Bolt EV is equipped with cameras, radar and LIDAR sensors and has an onboard computer. The sensing system and computer platform allow the vehicle to observe the world around it in 360 degrees and make near real-time decisions to navigate the road safely.
The Chevrolet Bolt EV takes its place in the “Driving America” exhibit at The Henry Ford Museum
Changing our lives forever
“Autonomous vehicles will change people’s lives forever, just as the automobile itself did more than a hundred years ago,” said General Motors President Mark Reuss. “The Henry Ford is a treasured institution where past and present innovations are documented and displayed, and GM is proud to provide our autonomous test vehicle to serve as an inspiration to the innovators of tomorrow.”
Increasing safety and access to transportation
This technology will play a key role in our vision to create a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2017, more than 37,000 people in the United States lost their lives to car crashes, including almost 6,000 pedestrians. Self-driving vehicles hold enormous potential benefits for society by eliminating human driver error and providing access to transportation.
Supporting innovative experiences
In 2017, General Motors gifted The Henry Ford Museum $5 million toward innovative experiences and new exhibitions and programs. Check out the self-driving Bolt EV today near the entrance of the “Driving America” exhibit inside The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
A Henry Ford guest experiences a self-driving vehicle for the first time
General Motors’ self-driving Chevrolet Bolt EV is an example of true American innovation. Our passion, imagination and drive to transform the future of mobility is stronger than ever.