Apple’s development of autonomous driving technology is taking a major leap forward as the state of California has granted the tech titan a permit to begin testing autonomous vehicles.
Unearthed by Autonews, a recent update to the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ website reveals Apple is the latest in a long line of automakers and technology firms to be given the green light to test autonomous vehicles.
The company now joins an extensive group which includes BMW, Honda, Ford, General Motors, Mercedes, Tesla, and Volkswagen as well as rivals such as Google.
Apple is keeping its plans under wraps but the company has previously informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it is “investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation.” Furthermore, Apple lists Bosch as one of its suppliers which is interesting to note as the latter company also has a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California.
Apple’s automotive ambitions remain a source of debate as early reports suggested the company was working on a high-tech electric vehicle codenamed Project Titan. More recently, rumors have indicated the company has scaled back its plans and is developing autonomous driving technologies which could be sold to other companies.
Renderings by NeoMan Studios/Clickmechanics
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