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Apple Gets License to Test Autonomous Cars in California

Apple Inc. has been licensed by California to test self-driving vehicles on the state’s public roads, according to the state's Dept. of Motor Vehicles.

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Apple Inc. has been licensed by California to test self-driving vehicles on the state’s public roads, according to the state's Dept. of Motor Vehicles.

The company joins 29 other carmakers, suppliers and others that hold similar permits. California's DMV began issuing such licenses three years ago.

Apple remains extremely secretive about the scope of its interest in self-driving vehicles. But last October it reportedly deployed dozens of software engineers in Ottawa, Ontario, to develop an operating system for autonomous vehicles. A month later it told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it was “investing heavily” in automated systems, including those for transportation.

And in December Apple reportedly hired organizational expert Alexander Hitzinger, a former Porsche AG executive. He is credited with structuring the carmaker’s 919 hybrid race car development effort, and he set up the team that won the sports car company’s racing wins at Le Mans in 2015 and 2016.

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