Apple Self-Driving Car Testing: Apple has accelerated the testing of its self-driving car, covering over 450,000 miles of autonomous driving in the United States from December 2022 to November 2023. According to reports, Apple has submitted data to the California Motor Vehicle Department (DMV), revealing that it has conducted testing on its autonomous car for more than the past year. This indicates a significant acceleration in Apple’s self-driving car project.
Initial reports had suggested that Apple had scaled back its ambitions of creating a self-driving electric car. However, new documents reveal that the company is still actively testing its self-driving car. It’s important to note that Apple has permission to test autonomous vehicle technology on public roads in California, but a safety driver must be present in the vehicle.
In contrast, Waymo, Google’s autonomous vehicle division, has conducted testing over 3.7 million miles with a safety driver in California and an additional 1.2 million miles without a driver. The report also mentions that Waymo has covered over 1.6 million additional miles with passengers in the car.
There are reports suggesting that Apple has postponed the launch of the “Apple Car” to 2026. The electric car is expected to be priced at less than $100,000. Apple is currently working on the design of the vehicle and has obtained several patents related to riding comfort features such as seats and suspension.
The company is also reportedly working on Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technology, which enables cars to communicate with each other and connect to the Internet of Things (IoT). Apple, known for producing iPhones, is venturing into advanced vehicle technology with the potential to revolutionize communication and connectivity among cars.