Apple gets permit to test self-driving cars

Apple has joined the list of companies with permits to test self-driving cars in California, according to an updated roster released on Friday by state officials.

The iPhone maker has disclosed little about its ambitions when it comes to self-driving vehicles, with chief Tim Cook hinting at plans but the company declining to comment for news reports on long-idling rumors.

Late last year, Apple revealed it is investing heavily in autonomous vehicles in a letter asking the government to make it easier to develop self-driving cars.

Apple issued the letter because it is “investing heavily in machine learning and autonomous systems,” an Apple spokesman said in an email to AFP at the time.

The California-based tech giant is expected to focus on software systems, letting partners manufacture vehicles, but would understandably want to be able to test its navigation technology in cars.

Most major auto manufacturers and many technology groups are currently developing autonomous vehicles, considered to be the future of the automobile, along with electric power, with first production models promised for around 2020.

General Motors this week announced that its autonomous driving efforts, investing $14 million and adding 1,100 jobs in a new research center in San Francisco. (AFP)