In 2021, Apple tested the capabilities of its self-driving car tech on the streets of California, logging more than 13,000 miles in the state. The company is using a fleet of Lexus RX SUVs to test its self-driving software capabilities.
Rumors of the possible existence of an Apple car have been making rounds for ages… And now, there’s further proof that Apple is developing systems for a car thanks to new filings from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
In order to develop its vision for a car of the future, Apple has been testing its automotive driving tech on the streets of California. As part of the testing of these systems, the firm is required to log all miles covered by self-driving cars with the State of California…
This year’s Disengagement Report notes Apple has a fleet of 37 cars that are licensed to test out its autonomous driving capabilities. Two of those weren’t tested last year, but the remaining 35 clocked up an impressive 13,272 miles of self-driving in 2021.
Along the way, Apple reported 662 incidents where test drivers were forced to take control of the car. That averages out at one disengagement every 20.05 miles.
MacDailyNews Note: California’s 2021 Disengagement Reports can be found here.
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“Rumors” of an Apple Car are well beyond rumors. Apple is trying to build an EV. Drivers, patents, this report, hiring and departure of Car project personnel. It isn’t rumor.
The question now is will it eventually make a car, will it develop car technology, or will they outright abandon the project?
There is no Apple Car. This project has gone on for years and is a complete failure. At this point it’s just R&D with a ton of team turnover.
Apple will need to spend tens of billions of dollars building a dealer network for starters. They’ll need to spend tens of billions on manufacturing, and a ton more on designing the vehicle. And for what?
The competition in the auto industry is intense. There are many established players that actually have excellent design and technology. Even for Apple it is not easy to walk into this environment and be competitive.
Apple will need to materially outcompete on battery range and software. I think they can nail the software but nothing else, because the big automakers have all the latest battery tech sealed up. So that leaves us with potentially just software, and where does that go? We have CarPlay, and autonomous driving is really what’s left.
And where does that go? Licensing it? So Apple becomes a B2B license play in this space? Not seeing that many automakers would need it either, as they have their own and it’s evolving on its own.
Agreed and many fine points. The infrastructure alone is huge and as you pointed out the investment would be off the charts and what kind of return would they expect with all the overhead, plus all the competitors far ahead. Yes, the only thing they have is software if no worms found in the Apple…
Despite all the signs, Apple has NEVER officially acknowledged developing an Apple Car. Right now, gives them plausible deniability the same weasel technique used by the White House. I’ll believe it when I see it…
Which White House? The orange groper or the hair sniffer? Never mind, I already know your answer
How many miles would Apple’s cars have to drive to find someone who wants a driverless car, with no gas pedal and no steering wheel?
No, the hair smeller and groper with plugs…
Hey Macaholic
What about the orange sniffer or tbe hair groper?
That’s not true. Recently, on the last quarterly conference call, which I was listening g to, Cook did briefly mention an Apple car.
That doesn’t sound like very much. And certainly not impressive for a fleet. I put more than that on my single car with mostly just a simple commute.
Imagine a day when there’s a “Freedom Convoy” blocking bridges – comprised of driverless vehicles! (“Hello, sir, you gotta move……. Sir?…… Sir?”) 😀
I wanted a self-driving car
Together we would go far
But the bugs, they were buggy
And the driving went gluggy
I just should have stayed in the bar
That’s actually not a lot of miles.
Who at this point outside of the Valley, gives two poops about ‘self driving cars’? It’s not quite but almost a meme from the 90s, just like VR. Spare us. Who cares? Note to the millennials or gen z that are still grasping at this idea: outside of supremely controlled circumstances, autonomous cars will never be a thing, really, not ever, so you might as well develop some motor skills or resign yourselves to using Uber for the rest of your lives.
In general, I agree that in sprawling places like most of the USA, autonomous vehicles for everyman will remain a pipe dream for many years to come.
However, autonomy is huge business and will only get bigger. In your lifetime, there will be certain zones carved out for fully autonomous gadgets.
John Deere may harvest your next crop without Farmer John sitting in the combine all day.
Cargo ships and planes could ferry goods from point to point on strict specific routes. Trains, already the most efficient long distance cargo transport, won’t need an engineer. Short-haul trucks on discrete road lanes could convoy goods from factories to distribution centers without truck drivers in many places. I’d encourage that to get big rigs off the onto dedicated cargo lanes flowing smoothly instead of having to shuffle along with congested general traffic.
Several hazardous industries (mining) and militaries are eager to replace human drivers — already happened actually.
While I agree that Apple is poorly equipped to enter most of these realms, and it is absurd to think that it would be economical for every personal vehicle to be equipped with a safe, reliable autopilot at an affordable price — don’t stick your head in the sand and pretend it’s not coming.
Apple doesn’t know what to do with all the cash it has, so it is exploring all options to get in on the next subscription service. Uber’s low quality amateurish attempt to kill off taxi drivers was just a first step. In almost all condensed urban centers, watch as the moneyed elite jump on the bandwagon for subscription based transportation. It won’t save anyone any money but Apple will love to be the touchscreen gatekeeper between you and your next ride.