Skip to main content

GM to start autonomous vehicle manufacturing and testing in Michigan

Following the signing of the SAVE Act legislation to support autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in Michigan, General Motors is to begin testing autonomous vehicles on public roads. GM also announced it will produce the next generation of its autonomous test vehicles at its Orion Township assembly plant beginning in early 2017. Testing is already underway on GM’s Technical Center campus in Warren, Michigan and will now expand to public roads on the facility’s outskirts. Within the next few months,
December 16, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Following the signing of the SAVE Act legislation to support autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in Michigan, 948 General Motors is to begin testing autonomous vehicles on public roads. GM also announced it will produce the next generation of its autonomous test vehicles at its Orion Township assembly plant beginning in early 2017.

Testing is already underway on GM’s Technical Center campus in Warren, Michigan and will now expand to public roads on the facility’s outskirts. Within the next few months, testing will expand to metro Detroit, which will become GM’s main location for development of autonomous technology in winter climates.

Workers at the Orion Township assembly plant will build test fleet Bolt EVs equipped with fully autonomous technology. The plant currently manufactures the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Sonic. The new equipment will include LiDAR, cameras, sensors and other hardware designed to ensure system safety, leveraging GM’s proven manufacturing quality standards.

The test fleet vehicles will be used by GM engineers for continued testing and validation of GM’s autonomous technology already under way on public roads in San Francisco and Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as part of the Michigan testing fleet.

GM has been developing its development of autonomous vehicle technology since the beginning of 2016.

In January, the company announced the formation of a dedicated autonomous vehicle engineering team and a US$500 million investment in Lyft to develop an integrated network of on-demand autonomous vehicles in the US. In March, the company announced the acquisition of Cruise Automation to provide deep software talent and rapid development expertise to help speed development.

It began testing autonomous Chevrolet Bolt EVs on the public roads in San Francisco and Scottsdale. The company has more than 40 autonomous vehicles testing in the two cities.

Related Content

  • January 7, 2015
    Investments in autonomous driving are accelerating, says report
    Google and various automakers have increased their activity and investments toward the goal of self-driving vehicles, while Google has shifted from its previous strategy to now focus on fully driverless vehicles for the future. If successful, it will have significant implications for the auto industry, according to IHS Automotive, based on findings in its new report, Autonomous Driving: Question is When, Not If, which is an update to a previous report issued early in 2014. OEMs remain geared toward aug
  • October 28, 2015
    When caring about sharing is good business for US automakers
    Although car-sharing and ride-sharing could drastically reduce car sales, David Crawford finds some US automakers are keen to participate in the sharing economy. Growing consumer interest in car- and ride-sharing, as opposed to outright ownership, and ride-sharer Uber’s recently stated intention to make its brand competitive with ownership on cost, are making the major US automotive manufacturers think seriously about their future sales prospects. Some have already begun exploring ways of entering the field
  • January 12, 2015
    Nissan, NASA to develop autonomous cars
    Nissan Motor Company, through its North American-based organisation, and NASA have announced the formation of a five-year research and development partnership to advance autonomous vehicle systems and prepare for commercial application of the technology. Researchers from Nissan's US Silicon Valley research centre and NASA's Ames research centre will focus on autonomous drive systems, human-machine interface solutions, network-enabled applications, and software analysis and verification, all involving sop
  • October 1, 2019
    Kinetic unveils Detroit EV charging initiative
    A collaboration led by DTE Energy called Project Kinetic has launched an initiative which allows drivers to charge electric vehicles (EVs) at Beacon Park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. DTE says the ChargeD initiative is offering access to four DC fast-charger stations. Project Kinetic – whose partners include the city of Detroit and General Motors – has a mission to identify solutions that address mobility challenges. Detroit’s director of sustainability Joel Howrani Heeres says: “ChargeD will allow r