Boss’ big test has been one of the main things on my mind for the past few weeks. In order to move on to the November competition, our autonomous Chevy Tahoe, named after GM Research Founder Charles “Boss” Kettering, needed to successfully maneuver through several challenges such as passing a stopped vehicle and recognizing the right of way at a four-way stop—not an easy task for a driverless vehicle that can not be remotely controlled. (For more on DARPA’s specific requirements, check out this site.) Our team, which is made up of representatives from GM, Carnegie Mellon University, Caterpillar, Continental and a handful of other organizations, has been closely monitoring the reports of qualifying events of our 52 competitors over the past few weeks, waiting for this opportunity to show what Boss can do.

I arrived at the event site Monday morning with a nervous energy – the feeling that comes with 13 months of anticipation. As GM’s Program Manager for the Tartan Team, I’ve been involved with this project from day one, long before the vehicle had a shape or a name. But my nerves settled as I saw the confident faces of my teammates and watched our creation begin to navigate the test track. We had been preparing for this day and we were ready. More importantly, Boss was ready.

For us at GM, the Urban Challenge is much more than an exercise of creativity. When we look at Boss, we see the future of the automobile. Autonomous driving is not a technology for our children’s children – it’s a reality that will, at least in part, be reflected in our own lives in the near future. We will soon begin to see some driving tasks shared between driver and vehicle. Sound far-fetched? Consider these Boss-like elements that are already available on some of our vehicles:

• OnStar’s GPS positioning capabilities
  
• Adaptive cruise control
  
• StabiliTrak
  
• Lane departure warning
  
• Side blind zone alert

While DARPA will not announce the official results until August, we’re proud to say that Boss completed every challenge at the qualifying event. Check back here for updates on our progress in the coming months as we continue preparing for November.