Apple intensifies testing for ‘secret’ self-driving car

Wired reports that according to data submitted to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) by Apple, the company conducted more extensive testing of its autonomous car last year than ever before.

San Francisco: Apple has ramped up its self-driving car testing and has logged over 450,000 miles of autonomous driving in the US from December 2022 to November 2023.

Data submitted by Apple with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) showed that Apple tested its autonomous car more than ever last year, reports Wired.

---

Apple has a permit to test autonomous vehicle tech on California’s public roads only if the company has a safety driver behind the wheel.

Apple’s secret car project is finally gaining momentum.

Earlier reports claimed that Apple downgraded its ambitions to build a self-driving electric car.

However, new documents show that the company is still testing its own self-driving car.

Meanwhile, Google’s Waymo drove 3.7 million testing miles in California with a safety driver behind the wheel and 1.2 million testing miles with no one behind the wheel.

The company drove more than 1.6 million additional miles with passengers in the car, according to separate government documents, said the report.

There were reports that Apple postponed the 2026 launch of the “Apple Car,” an electric vehicle that will purportedly cost less than $100,000.

The company is still working on the vehicle’s design. Apple Car was first reported to arrive in 2024.

Apple has also filed several new patents in software and hardware related to riding comfort such as seats and suspension.

The iPhone maker is also reportedly working on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, which allows cars to communicate with each other and connect to the Internet of Things (IoT).

The company in 2022 hired veteran Ford executive Desi Ujkashevic to help it develop a fully electric autonomous car.