The Cruise Origin recently entered pre-production and now we’re starting to learn how much a ride could cost.
Speaking at the Aspen Ideas festival, GM CEO Mary Barra revealed the company’s goal of ‘zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion’ doesn’t only apply to people who buy a new electric vehicle.
Instead, the automaker wants to give everyone access to an EV and that includes people who don’t own a car. The Cruise Origin is set to play a key role here as it’s an autonomous, electric shuttle based on GM’s Ultium platform.
Also Read: The Cruise Origin Is The Electric, Autonomous, Shareable Car Of The Future
When the model was unveiled last year, Cruise hinted the “average San Franciscan household driving themselves or using ridesharing, will, on average, see up to $5,000 (£3,611 / €4,202) back in their pocket every year.” That was pretty vague, but Barra used today’s event to suggest the Origin could cost riders less than $1 (£0.72 / €0.84) per mile. This would be significantly cheaper than current services, such as Uber and Lyft, which Barra said cost around $2.50 (£1.81 / €2.10) to $3.00 (£2.17 / $2.52) per mile.
That’s a sizable savings and it would make the Origin far more appealing than existing options. While this would be bad news for ride-hailing drivers, consumers could get an affordable ride in a roomy electric vehicle with a lounge-like interior.
Of course, you shouldn’t delete your Uber and Lyft apps yet as the Origin is still undergoing testing. However, it’s coming and Cruise has previously said “tens of thousands” of Origins will be built at GM’s Factory Zero outside of Detroit.
In other news, GM announced a new $25 (£18 / €21) million Climate Equity Fund dedicated to “helping close equity gaps in the transition to electric vehicles and other sustainable technology.”
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