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The California Department of Motor Vehicles said Tuesday it has straightaway suspended Cruise ’s deployment and driverless examination permits , ending the GM self - drive car subordinate ’s robotaxi operations in San Francisco just months after receiving the last necessary permit to market its operations .
The DMV ’s parliamentary procedure of interruption , which TechCrunch has viewed , put forward that Cruise keep back video footage from an on-going investigation , prompting the federal agency to debar its permit . The DMV said it met with Cruise representatives on October 3 , one Clarence Day after an incident that left a pedestrian , who had ab initio been hit by a human - driven car , stick to under a Cruise robotaxi .
The edict stated :
“ During the meeting , the department was shown video footage of the fortuity captured by the AV ’s onboard cameras . The video footage present to the department terminate with the AV ’s initial stop following the hard - brake tactical manoeuvre . Footage of the subsequent movement of the AV to perform a pullover maneuver was not show to the department and Cruise did not disclose that any additional movement of the vehicle had occurred after the initial stop of the vehicle . The department only larn of the AV ’s subsequent movement via word with another government agency . The department request Cruise provide a copy of the video with the extra footage , which was received by the department on October 13 , 2023 . ”
The DMV did not unwrap name of the other agency . However , generator aware of the incident secernate TechCrunch the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration share the information . It should be noted that NHTSAopened its own investigationinto Cruise ’s autonomous vehicle system follow several incidents involving pedestrians in San Francisco , including the October 2 event .
The portion of the video that the DMV says it did not ab initio regard demonstrate the Cruise robotaxi , after come to a complete stop , set about a slipover manoeuvre while the walker was underneath the fomite . The AV traveled about 20 feet and arrive at a velocity of 7 miles per hour before come to a complete and net stoppage , the rules of order reads .
The DMV later on stated in the order that Cruise ’s skip obstruct the power of the department to effectively and apropos pass judgment the safe surgical operation of the party ’s vehicle and puts the safety of the public at hazard .
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Cruise state TechCrunch that it share the entire TV with the DMV . The DMV told TechCrunch it stands by its assessment .
“ Public safety remains the California DMV ’s top antecedency , and the section ’s autonomous fomite regulation provide a framework to facilitate the safe testing and deployment of this technology on California public road , ” the DMV said in a statement . “ When there is an undue risk to public safety , the DMV can immediately set aside or revoke license . There is no set time for a suspension . ”
The DMV , which regulates autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in the state , said Cruise must meet a phone number of footprint to reinstate its suspend permits , which the agency will not sanction until the company has fulfilled the requirements to the section ’s satisfaction . This decision does not touch on the fellowship ’s Trachinotus falcatus for test with a safety machine machine driver , the DMV added .
The California DMV said the determination to freeze the permits was made after the agency determined the vehicles were not safe for the public ’s operation and that Cruise misrepresented information link up to the autonomous vehicle technology in its vehicles . The section also said that the conduct of autonomous vehicle examination on public roads by Cruise presented an undue hazard to the populace .
Cruise said it learned of the California DMV ’s suspension of its driverless licence at 10:30 a.m. today , 15 moment after the agency issued a press acquittance . Cruise interpreter Hannah Lindow emailed the following financial statement , which was also post on thesocial media site X :
“ As a outcome , we will be pausing operations of our driverless AVs in San Francisco . Ultimately , we develop and deploy self-directed vehicle in an effort to save lives . In the incident being reviewed by the DMV , a human strike and run driver tragically struck and actuate the pedestrian into the path of the AV . The Ab braked sharply before impingement and because it observe a collision , it undertake to pull over to avoid further base hit issues . When the AV tried to pull over , it continued before come in to a final stop , pull the footer onward . Our thoughts continue to be with the dupe as we hope for a speedy and consummate recovery .
before long after the incident , our squad proactively share selective information with the California DMV , CPUC , and NHTSA , admit the full video recording . We have stayed in close contact with governor to answer their questions and assisted the law with identifying the vehicle of the hit and run equipment driver . Our squad are presently doing an analysis to identify possible enhancements to the AV ’s reply to this kind of extremely rare case . ”
The temporary removal comes less than three months after Cruise , and competitor Waymo , receive the final permitrequired to offer commercial robotaxi services across San Francisco 24 minute a day , seven days a hebdomad . That license was publish by the California Public Utilities Commission , which regulates commercial-grade driverless ride - hail permit . However , without the DMV ’s permits , which grant for driverless vehicles to be on public roads , the CPUC Trachinotus falcatus is essentially worthless .
The CPUC approve the final permission despite enemy from resident and some city officials who pointed to legion instances of vehicle malfunctioning andstopping in the middle of the street — referred to as “ bricking ” — blocking the flow rate of traffic , public transportation and emergency responders .
That win was short - lived , however . A string of incidents occurred within twenty-four hours of meet the CPUC permit , let in a collision between aCruise robotaxi and an pinch vehiclethat entrust a rider injured . The DMV state Cruise it had to keep down its robotaxi fleet to 50 % while the department look into that incident . That remind some San Francisco city officials toformally request that state regulatorsredo an August earreach that expand robotaxi permission for Cruise and Waymo .
Pressure to suspend or revoke Cruise ’s licence escalated after an October 2 incident that left a woman stuck underneath a Cruise robotaxi after being strike by a human - driven fomite . Video captured by Cruise and consider by TechCrunch show a robotaxi braking and then execute over a pedestrian who was lie down in the street after being struck by a homo - driven car and launched in front of the autonomous fomite . Cruise said in itsaccount of the eventsthat the robotaxi “ braked aggressively ” to denigrate encroachment . Still , the pedestrian was run over and then stuck under the vehicle , agree to constabulary as well as video from local bystanders that show the person under the robotaxi .
TechCrunch saw the abbreviated telecasting ; at the time , it was lay out as the complete video .
San Francisco policelaunched an investigationinto the incident . The NHTSAopened its own investigationsoon after .
