As driverless vehicles slowly emerge as a reality, many companies are adding to their testing and self-driving fleets as shared by California’s largest motor vehicle agency.
Apple added 15 drivers to its autonomous testing since June, while Waymo and Cruise added significantly to their driverless fleets, according to a notice from the California DMV (via Mac Reports).
Along with its added drivers, Apple currently has 180 drivers total across 69 vehicles. The iPhone maker has yet to apply for a permit to test driverless vehicles in the state. Where’s the Apple Car, Tim Cook?
Waymo has actually decreased its drivers from 1,290 to 1,057, with its fleet size decreasing to just 285. Cruise reduced its driving team by 80 individuals though it increased vehicles by 21 units.
Additionally, Tesla currently has 86 drivers across 22 vehicles, though it’s also testing its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta with drivers on public roads. Usually these drivers and vehicles are validating Autopilot and FSD data, with vehicles having added sensors to do so.
Tesla Expanding FSD Beta 10.69.2.1 to 160,000 Owners in US, Canada https://t.co/gPBplwlmWd
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) September 19, 2022
Other notable changes from the publication’s last report on Apple and other companies’ autonomous driving programs include increases for Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Zoox, Nvidia, Nuro and Motional.
As for test collisions, Waymo had 14 new collisions, Cruise added 12 and Apple has just one additional collision since the last report.
Some of GM’s Cruise robotaxis were recalled earlier this month, after an accident with the self-driving vehicle. Cruise deployed a software update to fix an issue with the current version.
Earlier this year, Waymo sued California to keep accident data from driverless vehicles private.
