Together with its insurance partner American Family, the automaker's OnStar subsidiary has requested regulatory approval for the new data-based insurance plan in Arizona, Illinois, and Michigan. Andrew Rose, president of OnStar Insurance and GM's vice president of Global Innovation, said in an interview Friday that the company hopes to receive approval by the end of March.
"We hope to follow that up with a dozen, two dozen, or more states," Rose said.
Currently, GM's policy does not take into account the use of driver-assistance systems, which can automate some driving tasks and control braking and acceleration.
Sensor data from GM's "Super Cruise" system, including an in-cabin camera that monitors drivers' eye and head movements, could be used to set rates in future versions of the insurance plan, according to Rose, who declined to provide a timeline.
"I'm very excited about what we have in the market and its potential to benefit the insurance equation," he said.
To use such granular data, GM and other automakers would have to overcome state insurance commissions' scrutiny, which have yet to approve the use of data from automated systems for rate setting.
The IIHS, the leading auto insurance research organization in the United States, said on Thursday that there is no evidence that partial automation systems make driving safer.
GM, which launched its regular OnStar insurance offer a year ago, has stated that it hopes to generate $6 billion in insurance revenue by 2030, with the average annual auto premium in the United States costing around $1,000.
Behavior-based auto insurance, also known as telematics, has been available for several years, but requires consumers to download a mobile app or plug a data recorder into their vehicle.
GM instead collects braking, acceleration and general usage data, such as seatbelt use, directly from the car, providing more reliable and consistent data, Rose said.
Customers who opt in to data collection for the new plan will receive an upfront discount on their policy if GM deems them to be safe drivers, according to Rose. Drivers would not face surcharges for poor driving, he said, but those terms could change in the future.