We Will Soon See A Fully Autonomous Car That Does Not Even Have A Steering Wheel

General Motors is trying to level up their autonomous car by stripping away the steering wheel, the only way a human can intervene with how the car operates, and let the vehicle controls itself on public roads.

General Motors is trying to get the permission of the NHTSA (U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) to start the test, as reported by Reuters. GM seems to have lots of confidence in the success of the vehicle in driving itself without a human safety driver to take the wheel. However, this is not the first time we see an automaker being too confident and their vehicles failed to meet expectations.

If the test gets the approval of the NHTSA, General Motors will be the very first company to put an autonomous car out on the street without a human driver. Waymo has the same idea of omitting the human’s interference but its vehicles still have pedals and steering wheels.

According to James Ownes, acting Administrator of NHTSA, the agency will soon move forward with the petitions of GM. He said that this was a big endeavor as this was the first time action like that is taken. Owens confirmed that a decision would be made no matter what in 2020.

The U.S. Transportation Department’s Secretary Elaine Chao has a rather pessimistic view on the possibility of a fully autonomous car without the intervention of human drivers.

She has reason to hold a skeptical view though. Several companies have proven that they were too confident to launch their vehicles before they are ready to be on public roads.