General Motors Co.’s fourth-generation autonomous car is rather different than the previous three iterations: It has no steering wheel or pedals.

The vehicle, which was unveiled today, is a modified version of the automaker’s electric Chevrolet Bolt EV hatchback that is set to hit the roads next year as part of its planned self-driving taxi fleet.

GM released a video (below) in conjunction with the announcement to give the world a glimpse of the car. Moreover, the company divulged that it has petitioned the Department of Transportation to adjust certain safety laws so to accommodate the model’s unusual characteristics.

Instead of a steering wheel, the dashboard has a solitary touchscreen at the center that is surrounded by mostly blank surfaces. Two more displays can be found at the rear of the front seat headrests. They flank a panel affixed to the ceiling that provides control buttons for the passengers at the back, an arrangement similar to the one Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo has implemented in its autonomous minivans.

The fact that GM chose to do away with traditional driver controls entirely indicates a great deal of confidence in its autonomous driving system. According to the automaker, the modified Bolt EVs navigate their surroundings using data from no fewer than 21 radars, 16 cameras and five LiDAR sensors.

CNBC reported that the automaker is looking to put up to 2,500 of the vehicles on public roads as part of the pilot. To pave a clear legal path for the initiative, GM is asking the Department of Transportation to modify 16 different regulations. The request focuses mainly on rules tailored around traditional vehicle design, such the regulation mandating that the airbag in front of the driver’s seat needs to be inside a steering wheel.

If the changes are accepted, GM will also have to obtain approval from the individual states where it intends to operate the autonomous shuttle service. Reuters cited company executives as saying that seven states have already accepted the automaker’s suggestions.

Assuming everything is completed on schedule, GM’s 2019 launch target would put it a full two years ahead of rival Ford Motor Co., which said that it hopes to start producing autonomous vehicles without a steering wheel by 2021.

Image: GM