WASHINGTON: General Motors and its self-driving technology unit Cruise have petitioned US regulators for permission to build and deploy a self-driving vehicle without human controls like steering wheels or brake pedals, Cruise said Friday.

Cruise said in a blog post it sought permission to deploy the Cruise Origin that does not need features like a steering wheel to operate safely. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has authority to grant petitions to allow a limited number of vehicles to temporarily operate on US roads that do not have required human controls, report agencies.

In 2018, GM petitioned NHTSA to allow a car built on a Chevrolet Bolt without steering wheels or brake pedals on US roads. In late 2020, GM withdrew the petition.

NHTSA, which spent 15 months reviewing the first GM petition before seeking public comment, declined to comment Friday. Legislation to speed deployment of self-driving cars on US roads without human controls has stalled in Congress.

Cruise unveiled the Origin, which only has two long seats facing each other that can comfortably fit four passengers, in January 2020.