Apple’s autonomous vehicle project has been kept under wraps for the past six years, with little information made public. However, recent records submitted by the company to a California agency reveal that Apple significantly increased its autonomous testing efforts last year. The data covers December 2022 to November 2023 and shows that Apple nearly quadrupled the number of miles it tested on public roads compared to the previous year. In fact, the testing miles jumped by a factor of more than 30 compared to 2021.
The majority of Apple’s testing miles took place in the second half of the reporting period, with the peak occurring in August at 83,900 miles. Apple holds a permit to test autonomous vehicle technology on California’s public roads, but only with a safety driver behind the wheel. This initial step allows companies to collect data and assess how their software performs in traffic. While Apple’s testing totals are lower than those of more advanced developers, it is important to note that the state’s reporting guidelines make direct comparisons difficult.
In comparison, companies such as Waymo and Cruise have achieved significantly higher testing numbers. Waymo drove 3.7 million testing miles in California with a safety driver and an additional 1.2 million miles without a driver. They also drove over 1.6 million additional miles with passengers in the car. Cruise, despite its recent setbacks and nationwide testing halt, still managed to drive almost 2.65 million testing miles in California in 2023, which is nearly 2.2 million miles more than Apple.
While Apple’s autonomous vehicle project remains largely shrouded in secrecy, these testing records shed some light on the company’s progress. It is clear that Apple has been steadily increasing its testing efforts, albeit at a slower pace compared to some of its competitors. As the autonomous vehicle industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Apple’s project develops and whether it can catch up to the leaders in the field.
