Despite signs of both apathy and anxiety from the global motoring public, car manufacturers seem to be heading at ever increasing speed down the road towards driverless cars. US car maker General Motors has now taken this to a new level by announcing it will have a steering wheel free car in operation as early as next year.

The cars in question will be modified all-electric Chevrolet Bolts, with the big design difference being that there will be no steering wheel or pedals in the passenger compartment. The position normally taken by the drive will simply become another passenger seat.

GM plans to have a fleet of these vehicles in use as taxis somewhere in the US by the end of next year. Although the exact location of the trail is not confirmed, most observers believe California will be the likely location as it has one of the most favourable autonomous driving legal frame works in place. 

GM has been very active in the driverless vehicle field of late, acquiring many smaller tech companies that have expertise in the area. The car giant also sees a future where many people won’t want to own their own vehicles and has also invested heavily in a car sharing service called Maven.