How Cruise, the Autonomous Vehicle Company, Is Rising To The Top

If you haven’t already heard of Cruise, the self-driving car company, you’ll want to keep an ear out for what’s to come. This year alone they scored a major financial backing from Walmart Inc., which topped funding up to $2.75 billion.

We’re taking the next step in our work with self-driving cars by investing in @Cruise. The investment will aid our work toward developing a last-mile delivery ecosystem that’s fast, low-cost and scalable. https://t.co/fwl2alkXnu

— Walmart Inc. (@WalmartInc) April 15, 2021

Along with Walmart’s cushiony investment, the GM-backed company has gained the support of Microsoft Corp. and Honda. With these weighty investors, the future of Cruise Automation is well on its way to success.

Read on to learn how Cruise began and in what ways it will revolutionize the home-delivery service industry of retailers nationwide.

Where it all began

The autonomous vehicle startup entered the market in 2013 thanks to the clever ambitions of Kyle Vogt and Dan Kan. These experienced entrepreneurs developed Cruise Automation to essentially supplement the human driving experience. At first, the concept began with a RP-1 technology, which could be purchased and retrofitted to any vehicle.

Shortly after however, Vogt and Kan realized there was greater work to be done. The vehicle itself had to be autonomous in order to adapt to all driving conditions, from congested city streets to open-road highways. This led to more research and a self-driving test permit from the state of California to pin down the exact future of Cruise Automation.

By 2016, the trailblazing autonomous innovators caught the eye of General Motors. The American automaker then acquired a major stake in the company, making Cruise the educational platform for all things self-driving related. Moreover, Cruise is currently the backbone of autonomous production and development at GM.

Walmart’s investment in Cruise and the future of home-delivery services

Walmart Inc. entered its partnership with Cruise in 2021 in hope to advance a proficient and user-friendly home-delivery service. This decision comes after a history of investments in ride sharing companies like Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. The steady progression of Cruise and its anticipated rise is likely what drove Walmart to take a new leap of faith in a logistics provider.

Big name retailers, like Walmart, understand the inevitable shift thats happening in consumer buying. The ease and convenience of having groceries or commodities delivered right to your doorstep is setting the bar high. As a result, companies have had to scramble to adapt to the growing changes, relying mostly on third party companies to deliver their goods.

Pandemic or no pandemic, the trending repositioning to home-delivery services shows no end in sight. Self-driving cars enable said retailers to lessen the financial instability from e-commerce business and keep costs low when delivering to consumers.

Upcoming ventures

Right now, the self-driving company is heavily focused on launching Cruise Origin, a driverless vehicle intended for ride sharing services. Similar to Uber or a city taxi, consumers will be able to fetch a ride conveniently and quickly. The production of these models will begin in 2023, according to CNBC. Until then, the main goal for Cruise is to commercialize its production and maintain a composed outlook for the future.

Final thoughts on Cruise

The pandemic surely heightened the need for companies like Cruise. The post-pandemic future will continue to welcome services like this without hesitation. Service that is fast, efficient, and given at face value. These days, the need to shop in store offers less appeal when you could have a self-driving car deliver it right to you. Cruise is helping to revolutionize this process, where both retailers and consumers reap the benefits.

Despite the ongoing setbacks with autonomous technologies, there are tiny victories leading Cruise one step closer to full-scale production.

Boom! Today @Cruise got the permit to publicly operate *driverless* robo-taxis from the California DMV. Stay tuned…

Thanks @CA_DMV @BernardSoriano

— Kyle Vogt (@kvogt) September 30, 2021

With the addition of Walmart, Cruise Automation has grown the support of both a major retailer and a technology powerhouse. Which can only mean one thing: Cruise is ready for action. Pretty soon, maybe even sooner than we’d expect, self-driving taxis powered by Cruise will make their way into town.