Self-driving cars are coming to the streets of New York City

Self-driving cars are slated to hit the Big Apple next year. 

GM-owned Cruise Automation plans to launch an autonomous vehicle (AV) test program in New York City in early 2018, becoming the first company to put self-driving cars on the infamously busy streets of Manhattan. 

New York's densely trafficked roads and huge number of pedestrians make the city a testing ground filled with "unique challenges" that will be invaluable to train the self-driving system, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt told the Wall Street Journal. 

The pilot cars, which will be all-electric Chevy Bolts, will also have to contend with challenging driving situations brought about by East Coast weather conditions, which the company doesn't typically face during its tests in its home state of California. Vogt also said the Cruise will open a research facility somewhere in the city, but didn't share any other details. Read more...