Transforming Transportation
For the past year I have been working on a team at General Motors looking to set the tone for the future of transportation. Creating a purpose-built autonomous vehicle for GM’s subsidiary Cruise Automation, we are developing something that has never been done before. We’ve had to totally rethink what a vehicle like this would mean to a customer. Passenger cars are traditionally designed around the driver as well as the ownership experience; however, this vehicle is designed for neither. It is considered a “Shared Autonomous Vehicle”; thus, no driving provisions or individual ownership. Of course, without too much detail, this yields that many of the strategies that we typically employ in vehicle development go right out the window. GM has been building cars for over 100 years, yet a majority of the best practices in no way apply. Because we’re attacking a problem we have never attempted before, it is both difficult and exciting. Understanding how people will use and interact with this vehicle is extremely key, as we have to answer questions such as: where do occupants sit? How do we keep them safe? What do they desire to do while riding? And how do we make this profitable?
More specifically, I work on both the Advanced Vehicle Architecture Team, as well as the Creative Studio Engineering Team. These roles are often internally considered the “voice of the customer”, as we directly impact the customer experience and imperatives by what we integrate and design. I take great pride in this role, due to the fact I was specifically hand picked to join the team as one of the absolute youngest entrusted with the project. I also serve as a key communication point from a project management perspective as I translate and mediate between the creative designers and hardcore engineers. This role of liaison between “languages” has taught me much about working cross-functionally. Especially in the context of a fast-paced project, where things change by the hour and have big implications for the company as a whole. Lately, it has been both especially exciting and interesting as Honda recently decided to invest specifically in the project, to the tune of a 3.5-billion-dollars; thus, we now work hand in hand with our Japanese counterparts each day. (Which I am thankful for as this news made national headlines which allowed me to even truly acknowledge the project’s existence). In all, the project provides me with an opportunity to be both creative and technical, growing my affinity for thinking outside of the norm and working in the realm of ambiguity.
