Apple rumored to be using Arizona proving grounds to test self-driving cars
Apple may be leasing former Fiat Chrysler proving grounds in Surprise, Ariz. to test its self-driving car platform in a range of different conditions, according to a report.
A Google Earth view of the complex.
The company has been recruiting test engineers and technicians from various other proving grounds in the state, and indiciated that its goal is testing self-driving systems, Jalopnik said on Tuesday, citing a source "familiar with the matter."
The Chrysler grounds were sold to a housing developer in 2005, and later annexed by the City of Surprise, but went untouched for years. In Sept. 2016 the city signed a development agreement with the site's owner, SFI Grand Vista LLC, which said it intended to lease the grounds to a firm called Route 14 Investment Partners LLC.
Route 14 was given the green light for "all prior and current experimental and proving ground uses," Jalopnik noted, and turns out to have been incorporated in Delaware in 2015, registered under the Corporation Trust Company. Apple has a dropbox at the CTC's main office.
The grounds are said to provide a variety of driving conditions, such as a speed oval and different grades and surfaces, including places where wet weather could be simulated. Some parts simulate crosswalks and intersections -- essential in preparing for real-world driving.
Apple has been engaged in limited road tests of modified Lexus SUVs in California. The Arizona facility may be offering a chance to test technology both in controlled conditions and away from the public eye.
The company is believed to have abandoned efforts at designing its own car, but may aiming at a platform for the ridehailing market. Before then it's expected to launch a "PAIL" (Palo Alto to Infinite Loop) shuttle for its workforce.
A Google Earth view of the complex.
The company has been recruiting test engineers and technicians from various other proving grounds in the state, and indiciated that its goal is testing self-driving systems, Jalopnik said on Tuesday, citing a source "familiar with the matter."
The Chrysler grounds were sold to a housing developer in 2005, and later annexed by the City of Surprise, but went untouched for years. In Sept. 2016 the city signed a development agreement with the site's owner, SFI Grand Vista LLC, which said it intended to lease the grounds to a firm called Route 14 Investment Partners LLC.
Route 14 was given the green light for "all prior and current experimental and proving ground uses," Jalopnik noted, and turns out to have been incorporated in Delaware in 2015, registered under the Corporation Trust Company. Apple has a dropbox at the CTC's main office.
The grounds are said to provide a variety of driving conditions, such as a speed oval and different grades and surfaces, including places where wet weather could be simulated. Some parts simulate crosswalks and intersections -- essential in preparing for real-world driving.
Apple has been engaged in limited road tests of modified Lexus SUVs in California. The Arizona facility may be offering a chance to test technology both in controlled conditions and away from the public eye.
The company is believed to have abandoned efforts at designing its own car, but may aiming at a platform for the ridehailing market. Before then it's expected to launch a "PAIL" (Palo Alto to Infinite Loop) shuttle for its workforce.
Comments
Surprise!
Just a little bit
And yeah Arizona has the weirdest town names. Why, Arizona, Baghdad, Arizona, Miami.....
The race hasn’t even started and you think Apple is already playing catch-up?
Apple is almost always late to the party, but when they enter a specific space, they make a splash and people sit up and take notice. If they don't, then that company could turn into the next BlackBerry. Being first to something doesn't mean that specific company will always be on top.
I'd rather wait for Apple to release whatever it is they're going to release when its ready...not just rush it out because everyone else is releasing it before them. For one thing, we don't even know what Apple is working on. Is it a full-blown car? Is it just technology for a car? Something totally different? Lets not just to conclusions.
One last thing, have you used one of the self-driving cars? I drove for Lyft in the Phoenix area, and seeing those driverless cars was often a bit scary as a driver. That is ONLY because I am not used to it, and I am sure as it became commonplace it wouldn't be as jarring. Anyways, what I was trying to say before was have you used one of the ride-shares that have driverless cars before? If you haven't, then how can you say that Apple's would be worse of an experience without having any baseline to test it against? At that point, all you are doing is Apple-bashing for the sake of throwing vitriol out there.
Thank you that's what I'm saying this race to driverless vehicles is a marathon not a sprint. It will be awhile until this technology is reliable and safe enough that regular people won't blink at a driverless car going down their street.
There isn't any profitability today, and the industry likely won't see any profitability until the mid 2020's, and that is iffy.