Apple wins California DMV permit for testing self-driving car, could put tech on public ro...
The California Department of Motor Vehicles on Friday added Apple to the list of companies with permission to test self-driving vehicles in the state, suggesting that the company is pushing through with work on "Project Titan." [Updated with Apple test car info]
The win could even mean that Apple is ready to test a vehicle on public roads, Business Insider noted. Companies can't perform such tests in California without an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit.
Apple met with the state's DMV as far back as 2015, but despite this, testing ended up continuing in private. The most public the project has ever been is in Nov. 2016, when Apple submitted a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, expressing interest in the autonomous field.
The company was at one point thought to be designing a top-to-bottom vehicle, but a number of obstacles led to the company reining in the project and switching to the more narrow focus of a self-driving platform. The company is expected to decide later this year whether to resume building a full-fledged car or partner with an existing automaker.
Indeed anything Apple puts on the roads is still likely be an existing car modified to test sensing and AI technology. Even if the company was far enough along with a custom design, driving it in public would ruin any surprise and hand ideas to competitors.
Away from prying eyes, Apple has allegedly been using virtual reality to test an augmented reality system. Facilities in countries as distant as Switzerland may be doing other work, though the major nexus of Apple's efforts is thought to be back in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Early rumors suggested that Apple might have a finished car ready as soon as 2019. A more realistic date at this point is at least 2021, if not later depending on the impact of delays and whether or not Apple partners with an outside automaker.
Chinese ridehailing service Didi Chuxing -- in which Apple invested $1 billion last year -- recently set up a self-driving car lab near Apple's Cupertino headquarters, which could point towards a collaboration.
Update: Apple's permit covers three Lexus RX450h SUVs, and six drivers serving as backup.
The win could even mean that Apple is ready to test a vehicle on public roads, Business Insider noted. Companies can't perform such tests in California without an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit.
Apple met with the state's DMV as far back as 2015, but despite this, testing ended up continuing in private. The most public the project has ever been is in Nov. 2016, when Apple submitted a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, expressing interest in the autonomous field.
The company was at one point thought to be designing a top-to-bottom vehicle, but a number of obstacles led to the company reining in the project and switching to the more narrow focus of a self-driving platform. The company is expected to decide later this year whether to resume building a full-fledged car or partner with an existing automaker.
Indeed anything Apple puts on the roads is still likely be an existing car modified to test sensing and AI technology. Even if the company was far enough along with a custom design, driving it in public would ruin any surprise and hand ideas to competitors.
Away from prying eyes, Apple has allegedly been using virtual reality to test an augmented reality system. Facilities in countries as distant as Switzerland may be doing other work, though the major nexus of Apple's efforts is thought to be back in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Early rumors suggested that Apple might have a finished car ready as soon as 2019. A more realistic date at this point is at least 2021, if not later depending on the impact of delays and whether or not Apple partners with an outside automaker.
Chinese ridehailing service Didi Chuxing -- in which Apple invested $1 billion last year -- recently set up a self-driving car lab near Apple's Cupertino headquarters, which could point towards a collaboration.
Update: Apple's permit covers three Lexus RX450h SUVs, and six drivers serving as backup.
Comments
I don't think Apple will sell their own cars to the general public but license an "Automotive Platform" a la QNX but much more advanced.
This platform would include a well integrated and loosely coupled, modular operating system operating system and specific advanced automotive hardware parts designed to be for the OS. Apple is in a unique position to deliver this because they already have lot of the basics.
The OS would be a realtime derivative of OS X / iOS including the core OS foundation, SIRI, Apple Maps, Foundation DB, the new APFS, iCloud, battery management, security, CarPlay, coherent navigation etc... Apple would need to research and design the automotive specific modules while allowing licensees to override specific functions with their own implementations.
This platform would be licensed to various automotive and part manufacturers with options to use iCloud for the automotive data collected or not, let Apple manage and access the automotive data or not etc...
This would greatly lower barrier to entry for car manufacturing and would lead to a lot of superb automobiles.
Anyone else see possible problems ahead?
Nothing to see here, move along, these are not the Apple cars you have been looking for. Apple don't need no stinking car.
That said --- self driving cars. I want it to happen, I really do, I love the thought of saying - 'drive to Yosemite south entrance gate.. then wake me up'. But IMO, unless there are restricted or rule based roadways that they can drive on... just too much crap that can happen that can go bad... especially congested city streets/freeways.
However, in the mean time... Im all for lane keep assist and autonomous emergency braking/pedestrian braking etc --- but my hands will be on the steering wheel. I don't even care for cruise control, too easy to get distracted.
Self driving cars are --- do, or do not do. Having levels of 'self driving cars' is crazy.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3643379-Apple-s-Comments-on-the-Federal-Automated.html#document/p1
California has the most diverse driving conditions of the whole US, high humidity is probably the only checkmark it can't do.
Snow, check, tall mountains check, very raining condition (far north) check, desert check, heat check, cold check, high traffic check, pedestrians heavy places (San-Francisco and central parts of LA) check, high altitude check, winding roads as fuck, check, most insane freeways ever, check, very high speed roads, check.
All of this is a very compact space.
It's the ideal place to test a self driving car.
Its coming way way way faster than you think. Right now, the obstacle in many situations are more regulatory than technical.
Trying to please everyone means pleasing no one. Apple's products tend to be pretty focused on a few value proposition and do those well.