Apple Expands Autonomous Car Fleet

Apple has increased its fleet of self-driving cars to 55 vehicles, up from 27 in January, registered for autonomous testing with human safety drivers on public roads. According to the California DMV, the company reportedly has 83 drivers that are certified to serve as the safety drivers for these cars. Meanwhile, Apple still has not applied for one of California’s new fully autonomous testing permits.

While it is apparent that Apple has cars and safety drivers, it is not clear what exactly the company has been doing with them.

California requires all companies performing autonomous vehicle testing within its boundaries to submit what is called a “Vehicle Disengagement Report” that outlines both the number of times that a human driver had to intervene and wrest control from the car, and the circumstances surrounding these interventions, aka disengagements.

That being said, Apple only received its permit to test in April of 2017, and thus doesn’t have to file one until January of 2019.

What this likely means is that instead of Apple giving consumers the “iCar”, the tech company will likely license its self-driving car technologies and interface to other manufacturers, something that seems a little different for Apple, a company that is known for keeping a tight leash on its intellectual property and closely controlling its image.

Category: Connected Fleet News, General Update, News