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Apple 'Accelerating' Efforts to Catch Up With Self-Driving Competition, Expands California Fleet to 27 Vehicles

Thursday January 25, 2018 7:16 am PST by Mitchel Broussard
Apple has expanded its California fleet of self-driving vehicles from three registered last April to 27 as of early 2018, according to a new report posted by Bloomberg today and sourced from emails with the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Following the first three vehicle registrations, from July 2017 to January 2018 Apple has registered 24 more Lexus RX450h sports utility vehicles in California as part of its self-driving tests. The company is believed to be "accelerating" efforts to catch up to one of the current leaders in the self-driving field, Alphabet's Waymo.

One of Apple's previous self-driving Lexus vehicles spotted on the road last year

Work on the "Apple Car" began circulating in rumors from early 2015, when reports of "Project Titan" emerged and pointed towards upwards of 1,000 employees working on developing an electric vehicle at a secret location near the company's Cupertino headquarters. Over time, the project pivoted away from Apple constructing a vehicle of its own to the development of a self-driving software system, which CEO Tim Cook confirmed last summer.
We're focusing on autonomous systems," Cook said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. "It's a core technology that we view as very important."

"We sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects," Cook said in his most detailed comments to date on Apple's plans in the car space. "It's probably one of the most difficult AI projects actually to work on."
Now, Apple is said to be gearing up to compete with Waymo and its self-driving tests, which have currently expanded into six states, encompassing 600 minivans in Phoenix, Arizona alone and now open up to public applicants. Waymo partnered with Lyft last year to begin building a ride-hailing service that aims "to bring autonomous vehicle technology into the mainstream," and then began testing such a service without a safety driver "or any human at all" behind the steering wheel.

Tags: bloomberg.com, Apple Car
[ 155 comments ]


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justperry
21 weeks ago

This could be Apple's next game changer. I'm bored of slightly thinner iPhones, time for something innovative.


If I am honest, right now I don't want to be driven by a car controlled by Apple's software.
Rating: 40 Votes
Avatar
JRobinsonJr
21 weeks ago
Oh boy... I can't wait!

Me: Hey Siri, take me home!
Siri: OK... now playing "Take me home, country roads" by John Denver
Me: Hey Siri... cancel and take me HOME!
Siri: OK... plotting route to Gnome, Alaska.
Me: Hey Siri... cancel and take me to a Ford Dealer!
Rating: 32 Votes
Avatar
scottcampbell
21 weeks ago
When the cars come out, should I get AppleCare+, or just an Otterbox?
Rating: 19 Votes
Avatar
JRobinsonJr
21 weeks ago

Apple executives need to stop spending money on this. Take the massive amount of money in the bank account and either pay the retail employees more money or give it to the stockholder as dividend checks. The owners deserve the money.


What a great idea. Here's an alternative suggestion:

Take a small portion of the $$Billions and update your freakin computers! The whole world seems to be able to update systems on an annual or even bi-annual basis. How come the highest capitalized technology company in the world can't seem to make that happen? If you don't know how, just hire Michael Dell!
Rating: 13 Votes
Avatar
sinsin07
21 weeks ago

If I am honest, right now I don't want to be driven by a car controlled by Apple's software.

Not sure I want to be driven by any software, right now:
Autonomous Tesla Crashes Into Parked Fire Truck on California Freeway ('http://www.newsweek.com/autonomous-tesla-crashes-parked-fire-truck-california-freeway-789177')
Rating: 13 Votes
Avatar
rpat701
21 weeks ago

This could be Apple's next game changer. I'm bored of slightly thinner iPhones, time for something innovative.

I would never trust software to drive me and my family in my car.
Rating: 11 Votes
Avatar
sinsin07
21 weeks ago

This was user error. Tesla’s autopilot is fully autonomous yet and instructs the user to pay attention attention.


I own a Tesla with AP 2.0 and it drives pretty freaking amazing. And all the cameras and radar are sleekly concealed within the car. If THAT drives awesome and is capable of level 4/5 autonomy, I can’t imagine how that Lexus with all those sensors would preform.

User error or not, this particular Tesla didn't recognize a big red stationary object.
Rating: 10 Votes
Avatar
Amacfa
21 weeks ago

Not sure I want to be driven by any software, right now:
Autonomous Tesla Crashes Into Parked Fire Truck on California Freeway ('http://www.newsweek.com/autonomous-tesla-crashes-parked-fire-truck-california-freeway-789177')

This was user error. Tesla’s autopilot is fully autonomous yet and instructs the user to pay attention attention.


I own a Tesla with AP 2.0 and it drives pretty freaking amazing. And all the cameras and radar are sleekly concealed within the car. If THAT drives awesome and is capable of level 4/5 autonomy, I can’t imagine how that Lexus with all those sensors would preform.
Rating: 9 Votes
Avatar
pete2106
21 weeks ago

This could be Apple's next game changer. I'm bored of slightly thinner iPhones, time for something innovative.


Slightly thinner cars each year?
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
eddjedi
21 weeks ago
This could be Apple's next game changer. I'm bored of slightly thinner iPhones, time for something innovative.
Rating: 5 Votes

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