Apple received permission to test driverless vehicles on public roads in California back in 2017, and it was valid until April 30, 2025. But last month, the company decided to withdraw it ahead of schedule, as a result of which, from September 27 of this year, Apple lost the right to test driverless cars in the state.
Image Source: Tesla
As noted in the MacReports publication, Apple notified the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) of its decision on September 25 by phone, and a couple of days later the previously issued permit to test unmanned vehicles was revoked by this department. Although such information has never been officially commented on, it is generally accepted that by February of this year Apple decided to curtail the program for developing its own electric vehicles and autopilot systems, which were part of the initiative under the symbol Project Titan.
Billions of US dollars were spent on relevant needs over several years of development, but the current management of Apple considered this area of activity unpromising. It is believed that it was decided to direct the freed-up human resources to the development of artificial intelligence technologies. As of May of this year, which is typical, Apple in the state of California had 68 cars and 15 drivers who took part in the tests. According to media reports, these were mainly Lexus crossovers equipped with additional equipment for autonomous control.