General Motors (GM) autonomous car subsidiary Cruise applied for a permit with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to test Cruise-branded custom-built driverless robotaxi “Origin” on public roads in San Francisco.

Origin, developed in collaboration with GM and Honda, is specifically designed for autonomous ride-haling and comes without the steering wheel and pedals. It can travel at highway speeds.

Once when granted, the permission from DMV will allow Cruise to conduct test rides but will need another permission from National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to launch commercial operations.

The Origin vehicle needs certain special exemptions from NHTSA to operate commercially, as the federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) today require vehicles to have steering wheels, windshield wiping, washing systems, etc—which Origin autonomous vehicles are not equipped with. In February 2021, GM applied to NHTSA to obtain exemptions from six of these requirements, but the decision is pending.

Analyst QuickTake: GM first introduced its custom-built Origin for the autonomous ride-hailing market in January 2020, and plans to commence production of the vehicle in 2023. If granted, the testing permission will help the company to realize these goals. Cruise’s current vehicles built on Chevy Bolt electric vehicles (EVs) are already running commercial rides in San Franciso. Meanwhile, its competitor, Alphabet-owned Waymo, also revealed a robotaxi prototype developed in collaboration with Chinese automaker Geely in November, with plans to bring it to the market in the coming years.