Self-driving expertise firm Cruise is increasing its California ambitions past San Francisco.

Firm executives requested California regulators Monday to amend their present allow to permit for testing of autonomous automobiles all through the state. Cruise’s efforts have been restricted to specified areas of San Francisco.

Ought to the California Division of Motor Autos grant the corporate’s request, Basic Motors-backed Cruise will likely be “able to increase to basically any metropolis within the state,” CEO Kyle Vogt informed Automotive Information.

Whereas he declined to offer specifics on which California cities the corporate would possibly goal, he signaled Cruise would look southward.

“Hotter cities are, you recognize, on the desk for us within the close to time period,” Vogt mentioned.

That may point out Cruise is eyeing Los Angeles, a spot the place robotaxi rivals like Waymo and Motional are already testing self-driving automobiles and planning ride-hailing providers. None of these firms has requested the mandatory allow from the California Public Utilities Fee to start driverless business service.

The appliance is the “first step” within the technique of broader California efforts, a Cruise spokesperson mentioned, and there are not any fast modifications to the corporate’s testing or operations. No selections have been made on any California areas exterior San Francisco, the spokesperson mentioned.

A California DMV spokesperson declined to remark Wednesday on the corporate’s pending utility to increase the scope of its allow.

Cruise obtained its preliminary testing allow from the California DMV in October 2020, which restricts Cruise’s operations to specified areas of San Francisco. Cruise already operates driverless, business service in San Francisco, with as many as 150 automobiles on the street at a given time, Vogt mentioned.

If Cruise expands on the charge he envisions, that quantity might quickly appear small. Cruise launched restricted service in Phoenix and Austin, Texas, in December. He mentioned the corporate’s 2023 plans in these cities contain a quick-paced march towards scale in each present areas and new ones.

“As we get nearer to the top of the 12 months, these are going to seem like absolutely stood-up operations on par with, or probably bigger than, what we’ve in San Francisco in the present day,” Vogt mentioned.

In Arizona and Texas, a quick growth could also be potential due to a less-onerous regulatory atmosphere, he mentioned. However the extra arduous path in California has not diminished Cruise’s curiosity.

The bold growth plans distinction with the stagnation and consolidation all through a lot of the autonomous-driving trade. Argo AI, a Ford- and Volkswagen-backed rival, shuttered final October. An extended-expected shakeout is going on, in keeping with a February report from consulting and analysis agency Guidehouse Insights.

Cruise ranked behind Mobileye, Waymo and Baidu among the many self-driving front-runners within the Guidehouse evaluation of technique and execution for creating and deploying automated-driving programs.

Wherever Cruise expands, the corporate will keep on with metropolis driving. Dense, city driving offers probably the most near-term worth, Vogt mentioned. Freeway driving stays a technical work in progress, a characteristic that will come when the corporate deploys its purpose-built Origin autonomous automobile.

Vogt anticipates the Origin will launch someday this 12 months.

However that timeframe stays unsure. In February 2022, Cruise requested an exemption from Federal Motor Automobile Security Requirements for the automobile, which has no conventional controls like a steering wheel or brake pedals.

Regulators are nonetheless reviewing that request. The corporate is getting ready responses to questions that Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration officers have requested as a part of that evaluate, Vogt mentioned.

Within the meantime, Cruise would possibly take into account an alternate path to placing the Origin on public roads.

Quite than undergo the exemption-request course of, robotaxi competitor Zoox self-certified that its personal purpose-built AV conformed with these requirements final month.

NHTSA is reviewing that self-certification. Ought to the regulatory company deem Zoox’s automobile conforms with these requirements, Cruise might comply with that path. Vogt demurred on that risk.

“There are a number of totally different pathways to get a automobile with out conventional controls on the street,” he mentioned.

Lindsay VanHulle contributed to this report.