Photo: u/Arbutustheonlyone via Reddit
Although many companies have scaled down their autonomous-driving efforts, Apple appears to stick to the original plan. A recent report from the California DMV shows that Cupertino hired more test drivers, although it kept the test fleet unchanged. Judging by the latest collision reports, their vehicles love hitting the curbs, but no serious accidents were reported for the past year.
For many years it has been rumored that Apple was working on a car, a move that other technology companies have tried. Sony, Xiaomi, and Foxconn come to mind, although Apple's ambitions don't seem to point to an "iCar," at least not soon. Instead, Apple might follow the steps of Google and develop autonomous driving technology.
The company is already testing in California using a fleet of 67 autonomous vehicles. It's still far from the Waymo and Cruise's league, but let's not forget that these companies are licensed to offer commercial services. On the bright side, Apple is also far from matching Cruise and Waymo collision volumes, and so far, none of the incidents involving its vehicles have made the headlines.
Apple's autonomous driving efforts seem to advance slowly, as the Cupertino giant has hired more test drivers in the past months. Apple has added five new test drivers to its payroll this year alone, reaching 201, according to the latest California DMV report from March 17. The veterans of autonomous driving again dwarf the number, but Apple still has more drivers and test vehicles in California than Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, for instance.
A dozen companies have deployed autonomous vehicles in California with a safety driver behind the wheel. The number of companies allowed to test autonomous cars without a driver present is much smaller. Only seven can do that currently, and Apple is not one of them. According to our information, the technology giant has not yet applied for a driverless permit.
This suggests Apple is not yet confident in its technology to move to the next level. Its autonomous vehicles have been involved in 16 traffic incidents and accidents since it started testing the technology. However, unlike Waymo or Cruise, none of them was a serious one. Apple's test cars seem to love curbs, as they hit them a lot. This could also mean that Apple's software needs more polishing because hitting the curb when turning is not desired behavior.
In the latest accident (and the only one this year), an Apple autonomous vehicle hit a curb while making a U-turn. The accident happened on February 21 while the car operated in manual driving mode, so this wasn't the software's fault. However, in another incident in September 2021, the car hit the curb while driving autonomously. According to California laws, any road incident involving an autonomous vehicle must be reported, even if the car was in manual driving mode.
The company is already testing in California using a fleet of 67 autonomous vehicles. It's still far from the Waymo and Cruise's league, but let's not forget that these companies are licensed to offer commercial services. On the bright side, Apple is also far from matching Cruise and Waymo collision volumes, and so far, none of the incidents involving its vehicles have made the headlines.
Apple's autonomous driving efforts seem to advance slowly, as the Cupertino giant has hired more test drivers in the past months. Apple has added five new test drivers to its payroll this year alone, reaching 201, according to the latest California DMV report from March 17. The veterans of autonomous driving again dwarf the number, but Apple still has more drivers and test vehicles in California than Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, for instance.
A dozen companies have deployed autonomous vehicles in California with a safety driver behind the wheel. The number of companies allowed to test autonomous cars without a driver present is much smaller. Only seven can do that currently, and Apple is not one of them. According to our information, the technology giant has not yet applied for a driverless permit.
This suggests Apple is not yet confident in its technology to move to the next level. Its autonomous vehicles have been involved in 16 traffic incidents and accidents since it started testing the technology. However, unlike Waymo or Cruise, none of them was a serious one. Apple's test cars seem to love curbs, as they hit them a lot. This could also mean that Apple's software needs more polishing because hitting the curb when turning is not desired behavior.
In the latest accident (and the only one this year), an Apple autonomous vehicle hit a curb while making a U-turn. The accident happened on February 21 while the car operated in manual driving mode, so this wasn't the software's fault. However, in another incident in September 2021, the car hit the curb while driving autonomously. According to California laws, any road incident involving an autonomous vehicle must be reported, even if the car was in manual driving mode.
Google News