Apple has reportedly increased the number of self-driving cars it is testing on California roads, but has halved the number of drivers licensed to operate them.
According to data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Apple currently has 68 self-driving test vehicles on the road. This marks the first increase in Apple s fleet since August 2019.
An Apple report with the DMV from February indicated that the company s autonomous vehicle technology as a whole seemingly improved. That report indicated that Apple s fleet doubled its road testing miles in 2020. It also had fewer situations where a human driver had to take over than the year prior.
Calif. DMV Assesses Whether Tesla Deceives Consumers
The California Department of Motor Vehicles is determining if Tesla engages in false advertising about the vehicle s self-driving capabilities. The investigation comes as Tesla faces numerous lawsuits and criticisms.
May 18, 2021 •
Wally Skalij/TNS (TNS) Tesla is under review by the California Department of Motor Vehicles to determine whether the company misleads customers by advertising its full self-driving capability option, the agency told The Times.
A Tesla equipped with the $10,000 FSD package can change lanes, take highway exit ramps and stop at traffic lights and stop signs on its own, the company says. However, it is not capable of fully driving itself, according to widely accepted engineering standards.
California places Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ under review
LOS ANGELES (AP) California’s Department of Motor Vehicles is reviewing whether Tesla is violating a state regulation by advertising its vehicles as being fully autonomous without meeting the legal definition of self-driving.
The department confirmed the review Monday in an email to The Associated Press. State regulation prohibits advertising vehicles for sale or lease as autonomous if they can’t comply with the regulatory definition, it said.
Tesla advertises a $10,000 “Full Self-Driving” option on the website for its electric vehicles, but the same website says the vehicles cannot drive themselves. CEO Elon Musk has said he expects Tesla’s vehicles will be able to drive themselves more safely than humans sometime this year.
Tesla logo.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The probe comes amid several high-profile crashes nationwide including a fatal wreck in California involving Autopilot in recent weeks.
(Subscribe to our Today s Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click here to subscribe for free.)
California s Department of Motor Vehicles is reviewing whether Tesla is violating a state regulation by advertising its vehicles as being fully autonomous without meeting the legal definition of self-driving.
The department confirmed the review Monday in an email to The Associated Press. State regulation prohibits advertising vehicles for sale or lease as autonomous if they can t comply with the regulatory definition, it said.
A Tesla autonomously rammed a Snohomish County, Washington sheriff’s deputy’s Ford Explorer SUV. As reported by Nexstar Media Wire, the incident occurred over the weekend.
The parked SUV sustained heavy damage. There were no injuries to the driver or the deputy. There was no word on the extent of the damages to the Tesla.
The incident took place Saturday, when the deputy responded to a call about a car crashed into a power pole. The SUV was parked on the side of the road with its lights flashing, when less than a minute later, the Tesla electric vehicle struck the stationary patrol vehicle, according to a sheriff’s department statement, posted to Facebook.