Apple receives permit to test autonomous cars in California

PanARMENIAN.Net - A new name has showed up on California’s growing list of companies allowed to test autonomous vehicles in the state: Apple, The Verge says.

To date, the tech giant has been infuriatingly secretive about it’s efforts to build a self-driving car, code named Project Titan. Apple has been working on Project Titan for several years, but has never formally acknowledged it. Lately, the autonomous car project seems to be in flux. Recent reporting suggests that the company is no longer attempting to build its own autonomous, electric car to compete with companies like Tesla, but is instead focused on developing self-driving software it can deploy in partnership with existing carmakers.

Now that it has its permit, the company appears poised to begin testing its software on public roads in California. A company source told Bloomberg that autonomous vehicle testing would begin “soon,” but declined to specify any further.

According to the California DMV, Apple has three vehicles registered under the autonomous driving permit, all of which are 2015 Lexus RX crossovers. In addition, Apple has six drivers permitted to operate the vehicles. In the early days of its self-driving program, Google used Lexus SUVs outfitted with cameras and laser sensors.

Late last year, Apple submitted a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in which it said that it was “investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.” At the time, it was seen as the strongest hint that Apple was still committed to self-driving technology.