As per Tech Crunch, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt said that "we’re testing it and we are, from what we’ve heard from [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration], just days away from the last regulatory approval, which would let us start production and almost immediately start putting these vehicles on the road."

Autonomous EV manufacturer Cruise first presented its Origin EV, made for taxiing and delivery, back in 2020 and the company backed by General Motors committed to releasing tens of thousands of such vehicles in major US cities over the next few years. Regulatory approval durations, however, meant that the company couldn't yet start the mass-production of these revolutionary vehicles.

In the meantime, though, Cruise wasted no time and conducted tests for its autonomous no pedal and steering wheel vehicles in San Francisco and Austin, two of the cities where they would operate, should they be approved.

Currently, Cruise operates a limited fleet of Chevrolet Bolt autonomous vehicles on the streets of San Francisco, Austin and Phoenix. Cruise's cofounder said that the Origin represents a more cost-effective alternative to the Chevrolet Bolt, as the sensors and computational systems are simplified to lower the upfront cost of the vehicle.

"An average car has maybe 150,000 miles, 200,000 miles, something in that range. The Origin is designed to last 1 million…and so you put that long lifetime, lower upfront cost together, that’s a dramatic reduction in the cost per mile to operate these vehicles, which is a key unlock for profitability", he said.

Photo source: Cruise