Apple Obtains Official Permit to Test Self Driving Cars in California

Apple has officially been granted a permit to test self driving cars in California, reports Business Insider and Bloomberg.

"Today, April 14, 2017, California Department of Motor Vehicles issued Apple Inc. an autonomous vehicle test permit. The permit covers three vehicles, all 2015 Lexus RX450h, and six drivers," a DMV spokeswoman told Business Insider.

Apple joins 29 other companies who are allowed to test self driving vehicles in the state including Google and Tesla.


The self-driving car platform is designed so that Apple could choose to open it up to existing carmakers or eventually port it to an Apple-designed vehicle, says Bloomberg. The company is said to have shifted to a stronger focus on self-driving technology after Bob Mansfield was put in charge of its car efforts.

Apple is said to have dozens of engineers working on a car OS in Canada, and will reportedly decide on a final direction for its vehicle endeavors by fall of this year.

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