An autonomous Chevy Bolt operated by self-driving firm Cruise appeared to be almost too smart for its own good when it was pulled over by San Francisco police on Sunday, only to then appear to take matters into its own hands and speed off.
“Welcome to the future. Cop pulls over driverless car (because no lights?) Then Cruise goes on the lamb,” said Twitter user Seth Weintraub posting a video of the escapade on Twitter.
Welcome to the future. Cop pulls over driverless car (because no lights?) Then Cruise goes on the lamb. (via https://t.co/mtmsIeOAUP) pic.twitter.com/ecQ5xXuSnS
— Seth Weintraub (@llsethj) April 10, 2022
Since the video of the escaping Chevy Bolt – converted into an autonomous vehicle by GM’s self-driving brand, Cruise – first appeared on Instagram, it appears as if all the fun has been taken out of the story by “reality”.
Cruise responded on Twitter to a post of the video explaining that the Chevy Bolt had not, in fact, “bolted” from the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), but had instead simply taken off in an effort to find “the nearest safe location for the traffic stop, as intended.”
“An officer contacted Cruise personnel and no citation was issued,” Cruise continued, adding that “We work closely with the SFPD on how to interact with our vehicles, including a dedicated phone number for them to call in situations like this.”
We work closely with the SFPD on how to interact with our vehicles, including a dedicated phone number for them to call in situations like this.
— cruise (@Cruise) April 10, 2022
It is unclear what, exactly, caused the police to attempt to pull the Cruise vehicle over – though some online have assumed it had to do with defective headlights, however this is simply speculation, and the video does not give any clear indication one way or the other.
Cruise initiated driverless trips in San Francisco in February and video of their autonomous travels through the city have begun popping up on social – you can see one such post below:
Just another day in San Francisco, watching @Cruise test their vehicles (without safety drivers) on public streets. pic.twitter.com/BMURXK1WGU
— Mr MR (@21five_public) March 17, 2022
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.