Apple Self-Driving Car Program To Be Tested In California

Apple is now allowed to test self-driving cars in California, according to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles’ webpage.

Few details have been revealed about Apple’s autonomous driving plans, but the company has hinted about its interest in the field recently. In December, Apple confirmed in a letter to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration it has invested in "the study of machine learning and automation."

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The company was reportedly working on its own car, but as the Financial Times reports, it has since shifted its current focus to developing software and systems that would power autonomous tech in self-driving cars.

Companies that are testing self-driving cars on public roads in California are subject to several rules and regulations. Researchers are required to report accidents involving self-driving technology within 10 days and also have to file annual reports documenting how often human drivers have to take over for a car's self driving features.

Apple is the latest company to make significant research investments in autonomous tech. More than 30 companies are testing self-driving cars in California alone, including Volkswagen, Tesla, Uber and Baidu. Additional testing has been approved in Europe and in U.S. cities, including Boston.

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Autonomous technology, which refers to robots or other software taking over tasks humans would normally do, has been a frequent talking point among industry analysts in the past few years. Already, cars with basic autonomous technology are currently on the market — Tesla cars have semi-autonomous technology via its Autopilot feature.