Apple Reportedly Ramps Up Self-Driving Car Tests

Unlike some of the other companies working on self-driving car technology, Apple hasn’t been that forthcoming with information about its plans. The company has been testing self-driving car technology on public roads in California and a new report reveals that Apple has ramped up its tests. The company actually has more permits for these tests in California than Tesla and Uber.

The Financial Times reports on figures provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles in California which reveal that Apple has permits to test 45 self-driving cars on public roads in California. It had 27 permits just a few months ago so this suggests that Apple is putting more cars on the roads.

Apple seems to be quite serious about this as it only had three permits less than a year ago. The company’s total number of permits in California is more than Tesla’s 39 and Uber’s 29 permits. However, that could likely be due to the possibility that Apple is only testing its self-driving technology in California while others have expanded their tests to different states.

It’s unlikely that Apple is doing all of this because it has intentions of being a car manufacturer, even though that rumor has been done to death over the past few years. It may be planning to sell its self-driving car technology to conventional auto manufacturers, that is if the company sees value in pursuing in this goal beyond the research stage.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Apple
Tags: Self-Driving Cars