Apple Receives Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit From California DMV
Apple has officially joined the autonomous vehicle race. The Cupertino-based tech giant has long been rumored to be developing its own self-driving car — or the technology for it, at the very least — but the company continuously refused to comment on this speculation.
On Friday, April 14, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permits to several entities including Google, Tesla, Ford and NVIDIA, among others. Interestingly, the list also included a new name — Apple.
According to reports, Apple will soon commence the testing of its self-driving car software platform on public streets. Under the state's testing regulations, all autonomous vehicles on the road will require a person behind the wheel to monitor testing.
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"[Apple's] permit covers three vehicles, all 2015 Lexus RX450h, and six drivers," a DMV spokeswoman told Business Insider.
California DMV also requires companies to report traffic accidents within 10 business days. Likewise, they are expected to submit annual reports that detail disengagements experienced during testing.
According to the DMV, disengagements occur "when a failure of the autonomous technology is detected" or "when the safe operation of the vehicle requires that the autonomous vehicle test driver disengage the autonomous mode and take immediate manual control of the vehicle."
At this time, there are no details yet regarding the specs or features of Apple's self-driving car. However, as the tech giant begins testing what it calls "Project Titan," it is expected that more details regarding the autonomous vehicle and its technology will be revealed in due time.
Apple has declined to comment on the California DMV's issuance of testing permits and instead pointed to the company's statement back in December 2016.
Referring to the company's letter addressed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a company representative said: "Apple is investing heavily in machine learning and autonomous systems. There are many potential applications for these technologies, including the future of transportation."
