General Motors Will Test Self-Driving Cars in New York City

New York City embraces self-driving tech. Sort of.

One of the latest major cities to hop on the self-driving bandwagon is New York City. However, due to the city’s incredibly tight regulations, it looks like only General Motors will be able to test its tech on its streets. Surely, companies such as Tesla and Uber will soon join in. After all,  there’s an incredible amount of data to be gathered from the metropolis’ crowded streets. General Motors and Cruise Automation are currently able to cover the huge costs of operating these vehicles in New York. For starters, each vehicle will be accompanied by a police escort.

What about costs?

Well, General Motors will need to cover each of its vehicles with a $5 million insurance policy. Even though this might sound like a huge sum for us, the company will likely be able to cover it without issues. Moreover, New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo has expressed his optimism regarding the upcoming tests. His exact words were: “autonomous vehicles have the potential to save time and save lives.”

As more and more important automakers develop their self-driving technologies, cheaper and more efficient cars will become available for consumers. It’s also refreshing to see large cities opening their gates to innovation. Hopefully, other major cities around the world will soon follow.