GM’s Cruise unveils its first driverless vehicle
FoxNews.com auto editor Gary Gastelu shares his insights on Cruise’s first driverless vehicle and the implications for the auto industry.
Do you like hailing cars, but not sharing them?
(Gordon Murray Design)
Well, noted automotive designer Gordon Murray has just the car for you. It’s an electric, single-seat vehicle designed with autonomous driving in mind. The MOTIV is just over eight feet long and four feet wide, features a gull-wing door and was engineered to meet European passenger car crash test standards.
Technically classified as a quadricycle, the MOTIV has a top speed of just 40 mph and an estimated running time of 2.5 hours between charges in an urban driving scenario, where it would be deployed through an Uber-type scheme.
(Gordon Murray Design)
The MOTIV is in stark contrast to the General Motors-backed Cruise Origin autonomous shuttle, which was designed to enhance social interaction between four to six passengers.
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The MOTIV was built with support from a U.K. program aimed at developing electric vehicles and there are currently no firm plans to put it into production.
(Gordon Murray Design)
Murray does have a very different car on the way, however. The former Formula One race car and McLaren F1 supercar designer is currently developing the T.50 sports car that has three-across seating with the driver in the middle and a fan that sucks air from underneath the car to help it stick to the pavement at high speeds.