The new VP of global product at the automaker has a background that includes work on Tesla’s Autopilot and co-founding a startup focused on driverless trucks
General Motors has recently appointed Sterling Anderson, formerly of the driverless trucking company Aurora, as its newest executive. Anderson, who will officially begin his role overseeing the entire product lifecycle for both gasoline and electric vehicles on June 2nd, brings a significant background in autonomous technology. Prior to his eight years at Aurora, where he collaborated with a Waymo co-founder, Anderson contributed to early Autopilot development at Tesla.
Anderson’s expertise in robotics is underscored by his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from MIT. During his time at MIT, he developed a semi-autonomous driving safety system, a field he continued to pursue in the private sector.
Aurora, Anderson’s previous employer, currently operates an SAE Level 4 autonomous driving system for heavy trucks on routes between Dallas and Houston. Their highly automated semi-trailers began real-world operation earlier this month, following extensive supervised testing that involved hauling over 10,000 freight loads across 3 million miles of autonomous driving.
Given Anderson’s background, this hire suggests that GM is seriously considering the future advancements of its Super Cruise hands-free driving system, with an eye towards greater autonomy. While Anderson’s focus may not solely be on achieving fully autonomous vehicles, it’s likely he will be involved in enhancing existing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and expanding the capabilities of Super Cruise.
Currently, Super Cruise is classified as Level 2 autonomy (partial automation) according to SAE standards. In contrast, Aurora’s trucks operate at Level 4 (high automation), where the vehicle manages all steering and driving tasks within specific, geographically limited conditions.
Advancing Super Cruise to Level 4 would represent a significant step, enabling full eyes-off, hands-off operation in designated scenarios, though it wouldn’t constitute a fully autonomous vehicle capable of operating in all conditions.
Waymo already operates at this Level 4 capacity in the controlled environments of Arizona, similar to Aurora’s operations in the flat, dry conditions of Texas. Therefore, significant development is still needed before a Level 4 Super Cruise system could handle complex real-world driving situations, such as a Chevy Blazer navigating a stormy commute without driver intervention.
However, the hiring of Sterling Anderson could be a crucial step for GM in moving closer to this advanced level of autonomous driving technology.
